Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 8
First Report - Universities and Scotland
Published 28 May 2021
Paragraph 101
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Universities and Scotland All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We note with regret however that the Turing scheme will not—as currently envisaged—support inward placements to the UK. As the Government recognises, as well as providing Scottish universities and local economies with an important income source, inward placements support the cultural education and experience of UK students in a way that is difficult to replicate by other means. They also support Scottish universities’ internationalisation agenda by promoting them on a global platform and building international networks that can last a lifetime. We also regret that there is currently no long-term funding commitment beyond year-one of the Turing Scheme to the principle of international student exchange. Subject to positive year-one results from the Turing Scheme, we recommend not only that the scheme continue with at least the same level of funding in future years, but that it be expanded to incorporate the funding of international student and academic staff placements to the UK.
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, First Report - Universities and Scotland (HC 54), paragraph 101, 28 May 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 April 2022 (deadline 28 July 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out continued work with the devolved administrations and existing UK-wide policies on international students, immigration, research funding and talent, and states it will submit a response to the earlier Immigration and Scotland report "shortly".
- On the Turing Scheme, it confirmed funding for three years, including "£110 million for the 2022/23 Academic Year". It states the scheme "prioritises pupils, students and learners over staff and inward mobility funding", and says the first year's impact will be evaluated.
- On Erasmus+, it states that President Von Der Leyen "has previously confirmed that association by part of a country is not legally possible".
- On UKRI, it states that Board appointees "are not recruited to represent any constituency, sector or regional grouping", while a legal requirement to have regard to research conditions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is taken into account. It says Research England's place on the Executive Committee reflects its status as a legal component of UKRI.
- On visa costs, it states that "UK visa fees are broadly in line with our competitors" and that it will "continue to keep visa fees under review".