Clause 10 - Research in arts and humanities
Higher Education Bill
3:30 pm
Mr Phil Willis (Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Education & Skills; Harrogate and Knaresborough, Liberal Democrat)
May I persevere on the issue of the British Academy? The funding for the British Academy under these clauses is being transferred, effectively, to the Secretary of State. There would, therefore, need to be some piece of legislation, or regulatory device to enable resources to flow from the Secretary of State to the British Academy. How would the hon. Gentleman resolve that problem? Does not this clause set up a framework that will enable that to happen? Indeed, is it not the case that, should any of the constituent bodies of the United Kingdom want to set up similar research bodies in future, this is the enabling legislation for that? Or is it more sinister?