Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any national security risks associated with scholarships and funding from the Chinese Scholarship Council; and what discussions they have had with UK universities on this matter.

The government regularly assesses threats posed to UK academia and works closely with the higher education (HE) sector. As a matter of longstanding policy, the department is unable to release information regarding threat assessments on the grounds of national security.

The government is now going further in the Integrated Review Refresh 2023, launching a new and comprehensive review of legislative and other provisions designed to protect our academic sector, to identify what more we could or should be doing.

No advice has been issued from the department to HE providers about scholarships and funding from the Chinese Scholarship Council.

The government will not accept collaborations which compromise our national security.