Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of
the loss of funding to the United Kingdom since 2020 as a result
of leaving the Horizon programme; and whether they have fully
compensated for that loss.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Culture, Media and Sport ( of Whitley Bay) (Con)
My Lords, the Government’s preference remains to associate to
Horizon, and we continue to do everything we can to secure this.
As of 31 January, the Government’s Horizon Europe guarantee,
administered via UKRI, had issued grants worth up to £750 million
to 1,548 successful applicants. We announced an additional £484
million of funding in November to support the UK’s R&D sector
and bolster talent and investment in R&D infrastructure while
we continue to pursue association.
(Con)
I thank my noble friend for that very full Answer. Will he join
me in congratulating the success that the Horizon programme has
brought not just to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge but
to universities such as the University of York? Will he give the
House an assurance today that the future of the UK science and
university research community will be assured, given that there
are no obvious international comparators and that countries such
as New Zealand are applying to join the Horizon fund?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
In her final remarks, my noble friend made an important point:
many countries that have not been members of the European Union,
unlike us, are able to be associate members of Horizon, and we
continue to hope to be so. We in this country benefit from many
world-leading universities, including the University of York,
which she mentioned. However, there are other countries and
partnerships to forge, which is why, in December, the Government
announced the new international science partnerships fund, which
is designed to collaborate with the best R&I partners around
the world—for example, in the already announced partnership with
Japan.
(LD)
Earlier this month, it was announced that Oxford and Cambridge
universities, once given more than £130 million a year in total
by European research programmes, now get £1 million annually
between them, since the UK left the EU. All of our universities
and research bodies are similarly affected. The Minister referred
to £484 million of Column 1748is located here
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research funding announced in November, but, yesterday, the
publication of supply estimates showed that the Government have
now withdrawn a massive £1.6 billion of unspent R&D funding,
a good portion of which was the UK Horizon replacement. Will the
Government reinstate this funding, not just the £484 million, as
a matter of urgency?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
The noble Baroness’s point does not reflect a change in the
Government’s position, which remains that we would like to
associate to Horizon as agreed with the European Union in the
trade and co-operation agreement—we are disappointed that it has
not acted on this. The surrender of the capital budget that she
mentioned reflects the fact that, if we were to associate in this
financial year, which obviously ends soon, any cash payment would
take place next year. But that funding remains available to
ensure that people who would qualify for Horizon do not suffer a
shortfall.
(Lab)
Could we get some qualification from the Minister on that precise
issue? Is he saying that, next year, the £1.6 billion that has
been clawed back will be made available, in addition to the
resources that would otherwise be in place? If he is not, this is
sophistry of the worst order.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
The Horizon Europe guarantee programme, to which I referred, is
demand driven; it is determined by the number of successful
applications. It is an interim measure while we pursue
association to Horizon, which was agreed in the trade and
co-operation agreement with the European Union. If the EU follows
through on the promises it made, the support can continue in that
way.
(Con)
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for all he has said, and I wish
him every success. But is it not important that we also wish
success to the Prime Minister in his negotiations on the Irish
protocol, which would transform relations between this country
and the EU? Would it not be a very good idea if those who landed
us in this mess kept quiet?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
Of course I wish my right honourable friend the Prime Minister
the best of luck in his discussions with the European Union, but
it is wrong to link this issue to the Northern Ireland protocol,
as the EU has done. These were separate agreements. The trade and
co-operation agreement undertook to allow the UK to participate
in Horizon, just as a number of non-EU states do. We hope that
the EU will follow through on its promises, notwithstanding
discussions on the protocol.
(CB)
I welcome what the Minister said about the Government’s intention
being still to join as an associate of Horizon. Would he agree
that, since that is plan A, it is presumably a bit better than
plan B? Would he also recognise that, highly desirable though the
links with non-EU countries are, they are not affected one way or
the other by Horizon and our membership of it?
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of Whitley Bay (Con)
As I say, we have been pushing the EU to implement our
association to EU programmes as agreed—that is plan A. We remain
open and committed to collaboration with the EU but are ready to
implement a comprehensive and world-leading alternative programme
if needed, and that is under consideration.
My Lords, I am hearing what has been said about the EU not
following through on its commitments, but our own Government have
not done so. Look at the Erasmus programme. Promises were made
that, in the interim, facilities would be put in place and there
would be no deficit, but there clearly has been. Can the Minister
tell us when the scientific community and academia will have some
certainty, which is what they need?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
The right reverend Prelate’s final question is a matter for the
EU. We stand ready to follow through on what was agreed in the
trade and co-operation agreement and hope that the EU will do so
swiftly. Erasmus is another good example of an EU programme that
is open to other countries which, unlike us, were not for four
decades members of the EU. Regrettably, the EU takes a different
view on that. However, our Turing programme replaces it and makes
sure that there are opportunities for people studying in the UK
to benefit from international collaboration.
(Lab)
My Lords, it is always best to know when you are beat on this. My
view—and I am sure the Minister will not agree—is that the
original negotiation on this programme was badly handled and we
have been left with a poor deal. There have been a number of
calls, including from health leaders, for the scheme introduced
by government to grant applications with final submission
deadlines on or before 31 March to be extended as a backup while
we seek the important association that we are all agreed on. Will
the Minister ensure that NHS patients can continue to benefit
from the Horizon programme’s collaborative research? The last
time I raised this issue, I asked the Minister then to confirm
whether 31 March is the final cut-off date and whether the
Government will bring forward a plan B to ensure that we have the
right levels of international co-operation in research available.
I did not get an answer then and the House deserves an answer
today.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
UK researchers and businesses will receive at least as much money
as they would have done from Horizon over this spending review
period. The Government are delivering their commitment to invest
£20 billion a year in R&D by the end of the period; that is a
rise of 30% in cash terms over three years, and the largest-ever
increase in funding over a spending review period. We continue to
pursue our associate membership of Horizon, as agreed with the EU
in the trade and co-operation agreement, but it takes two to
tango—it is up to the EU to follow through on that agreement as
well.
(LD)
The shared prosperity fund was billed as a replacement for EU
structural funds, much of which was spent on university research
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partnerships across the UK. However, the shared prosperity fund
is distributed by local authorities, which have no mechanism or
incentive to give money to university research. What are the
Government planning to do to fill the gaping hole that now exists
on research funding in the UK?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
The noble Baroness underlines the fact that decisions about that
spending are now taken in this country rather than in Brussels,
which is an advantage, following our departure from the European
Union. We are able to invest that throughout the United Kingdom
in things which are decided by the elected Government and by
elected local authorities, who of course pay heed to our
world-leading universities and research base.
(Con)
My Lords, of the world’s top 20 universities, four are in the
United Kingdom, most of the others are in other anglosphere
countries, and none is in the European Union. Instead of
approaching this question as supplicants, should we not be
raising our eyes to the greater opportunities that lie over more
distant horizons?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I agree with my noble friend. We want to continue to collaborate
with the European Union. We have four of the world’s top 20
universities in this country—the EU has none in the top 20 but
has many institutions with which we would welcome partnership. We
are also pursuing other opportunities, such as with Japan, as I
mentioned, and there are many countries—the United States,
Canada, South Korea, India and many more—where we can and should
be seizing opportunities, and the Government are determined to do
so.
