EDUCATION
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which subjects he considers to be strategically important and vulnerable; and if he will make a statement. [139790]
Mr Willetts, Minister of State (Minister for Universities and Science): Following the introduction of the new fee and funding arrangements for higher education (HE) from autumn 2012, the Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) revised policy for supporting Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects (SIVS) no longer focuses on one single list of SIVS subjects, but on risks to the future availability of any subject. This new approach will allow HEFCE to be flexible in responding to subjects that are demonstrated to be strategically important and vulnerable. HEFCE is monitoring the risks to all subjects and will target its support to subjects based on qualitative and quantitative evidence of risks.
HEFCE is continuing to support: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), modern foreign languages, and quantitative social science (which were previously classed as SIVS), and is currently making a number of interventions to address subject risks.
These include: providing additional funding for the teaching of high-cost STEM subjects; further funding for demand-raising activity in modern foreign languages; funding for most students engaging in a year of study or work abroad; further funding to enhance demand for, and provision of, quantitative studies across the social sciences; and additional funding for postgraduate taught and postgraduate research programmes (all subjects).
In addition government can set out to HEFCE at any time, particular subjects which are thought to be strategically important and on which it would like action to be taken.