Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions the Government has had with UK universities on the negotiations for the UK leaving the EU.

We regularly engage with a wide range of higher education (HE) stakeholders – including universities and representative bodies such as Universities UK – at both ministerial and official levels to ensure we fully understand the sector’s priorities for EU exit. This engagement includes the High Level Stakeholder Working Group on EU Exit, Universities, Research and Innovation, which I chair as Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation. This group brings together voices from across the HE and research sector, and is also attended by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union. We value this close engagement and we want to maintain a dialogue with the sector as discussions on the UK’s future relationship with the EU progress.