Higher education (HE) providers are independent of government and are responsible for managing their finances. The department is aware that some providers are making difficult decisions about the courses they offer in order to safeguard their long-term financial sustainability.

The Office for Students (OfS) is taking forward the development and delivery of the Market Monitoring Function, announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, to improve the evidence base on the demand for and supply of HE provision.

The Market Monitoring Function will highlight any gaps between demand, supply and local need, and help identify areas where there are cold spots in availability of provision to inform better regional coordination.

In her 6 July letter to the OfS setting out her priorities for 2026/27, the former Secretary of State for Education asked them to maintain targeted funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant for subjects in price group B, which includes chemistry.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has not had any discussions with her Scottish counterpart specifically regarding supporting teaching in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. However, Ministers have had valuable discussions at four nations meetings and officials maintain contact around issues of mutual interest, including STEM education.

UK Research and Innovation, via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), funds a diverse portfolio of pioneering research projects that explore the frontiers of chemistry which underpin sustainable and innovative chemical processes. This includes exploring new methodologies such as mechanochemistry.

Current live projects, totalling £1.7 million, that include a substantive mechanochemistry method development include:

• a novel mechanochemical method for hydrogen isotope separation;
• a mechano-enzymatic synthesis of key pharmaceutical building blocks;
• an automated reaction screening and optimisation protocol using mechanochemical platforms.

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The government recognises that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, such as chemistry, are vital for the UK’s future economic needs and to drive up productivity.

The department has therefore put in place an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the STEM subjects for 2025/26, including bursaries worth £29,000 and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free. We are also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for chemistry teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. Oak National Academy provides optional, high-quality curriculum resources which teachers can use to support their lessons.

In relation to higher education (HE), the department, along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is providing an additional £1.3 billion in capital investment for teaching and research over the current spending review period. This academic year 2024/25, more than two thirds of the £1.4 billion strategic priorities grant recurrent budget allocated to providers, is supporting the provision of high-cost subjects, for example medicine and dentistry, science, engineering and technology subjects, and specific labour market needs. We are also increasing core research funding to over £6.1 billion to offer real-terms protection to the UK's world leading research base and to support UK Research and Innovation to deliver on the UK's key research priorities.

I refer the hon. Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire to the answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30787.

The government recognises that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, such as chemistry, are vital for the UK’s future economic needs and to drive up productivity. Chemistry skills, in particular, are necessary for a range of careers within the green economy, including in growing sectors like carbon capture and hydrogen.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive. The review group will publish an interim report in early spring and will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. The department will take decisions on what changes to make to the curriculum in light of these recommendations.

Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body which provides free, high quality, optional and adaptable curriculum resources for schools, has recently published new curriculum sequences and associated lesson resources in science from key stages 1 to 4, including chemistry. Within Oak’s science curriculum, it provides a broad range of resources to support teachers to teach about green skills, climate change and sustainability. This year, Oak is also introducing a new curriculum thread entitled ‘How can we live sustainably to protect Earth for a better future?’. This will form part of its secondary science curriculum and will support the growing emphasis of green skills in chemistry. As well as this, Oak’s chemistry lessons include a variety of data analysis tools to strengthen pupils’ digital competency. Its chemistry lessons include real-life applications of chemistry, such as industrial chemistry, environmental chemistry and material science to strengthen technical knowledge.

The department is aware of the report and we recognise the importance of skills in all sectors, including the chemical sector, which is why the government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce in all areas and drive economic growth in all sectors.

The department has established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for individuals, for both young people and older adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy.

The department published a Jobs and Skills Dashboard in May 2024, which allows users to explore employment, demand and education pathways for both science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations and occupations most relevant to the UK critical technologies. This dashboard can be accessed here: https://department-for-education.shinyapps.io/ufs-jobs-and-skills-dashboard/?_inputs_&navbar=%22Jobs%20and%20skills%22&tabsID=%22Summary%22§orChoice=%22STEM%22&shortageTimeChoice=%22Air-conditioning%20and%20refrigeration%20engineers%20SOC2010%22.

An accompanying ad-hoc statistics release was also made available on Explore Education Statistics in May 2024, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supply-of-skills-for-jobs-in-science-and-technology.

Skills England will continue to assess the skills needs of the tech sector and the skills provision required to meet these skills needs. It is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Industrial Skills Council to bring businesses, training partners and unions together with national and local government, including Mayoral Strategic/Combined Authorities, to develop a clear assessment of the country’s skills needs for the tech sector and map pathways by which they can be filled.

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce in all sectors, including the chemical sciences sector, and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy.

The department has established Skills England to ensure we have the highly-trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will ensure that the skills system is clear and navigable for individuals, for both young people and older adults, strengthening careers pathways into jobs across the economy.

The department’s reformed growth and skills offer, which will have apprenticeships at its core, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers, including through shorter duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors. This will help more people learn new high quality skills at work and is fuelling innovation in businesses across the UK.

The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in the chemical sector through its technical education offer, with a range of high quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities at all levels.

Examples of this include:

• Over 80 high quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards in the health and science sector to support the development of skilled workforces, including through the level 3 Laboratory Technician standard.
• T Levels in science, where students can specialise in laboratory sciences, food sciences or metrology sciences, leading to entry level occupations in the science sector.
• Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), which are occupation-focused level 4 and 5 qualifications, approved and quality-marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers. To date, 263 HTQs have been approved for delivery across a range of occupational routes, with three Technician Scientist HTQs becoming available from September 2025.

For the 2024/25 academic year, more than half of the £1.4 billion Strategic Priorities Grant recurrent funding to higher education providers is allocated to support the provision of high-cost subjects, which includes chemistry. From this funding, the Office for Students is allocating £1,737 per full-time equivalent student to providers for chemistry students.

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The government also recognises that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, such as chemistry, are vital for the UK’s future economic needs and to drive up productivity. Chemistry skills, in particular, are necessary for a range of careers within the green economy, including in growing sectors like carbon capture and hydrogen.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive. The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work, and will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. We will take decisions on what changes to make to the curriculum in light of these recommendations.

Oak National Academy, an independent arm’s length body which provides free, high-quality, optional and adaptable curriculum resources for schools, has recently published new curriculum sequences and associated lesson resources in science from key stages 1-4, including chemistry. Within Oak’s science curriculum, it provides a broad range of resources to support teachers to teach about green skills, climate change and sustainability. This year, Oak is also introducing a new curriculum thread entitled ‘How can we live sustainably to protect Earth for a better future?’. This will form part of its secondary science curriculum and will support the growing emphasis of green skills in chemistry. As well as this, Oak’s chemistry lessons include a variety of data analysis tools to strengthen pupils’ digital competency. Oak’s chemistry lessons include real-life applications of chemistry, such as industrial chemistry, environmental chemistry and material science to strengthen technical knowledge.

To improve education in STEM subjects, it is essential to ensure high-quality teaching by helping schools recruit and retain good teachers. The government has therefore announced an initial teacher training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 academic year worth £233 million, a £37 million increase on the last recruitment cycle. This includes a range of measures, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees in key STEM subjects such as chemistry.

For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the government is also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for chemistry teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in the subject in the schools and areas that need them most.

The Department’s published data shows that the rate of progression into teaching for those who receive a bursary is very similar to the rate of progression for all trainees. Of those who trained in 2020/21, the Department provisionally estimates that 74% of chemistry postgraduate trainees and 73% of physics postgraduate trainees who were awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and were eligible for a bursary will be employed as a teacher in a state funded school in England within 16 months of the end of the academic year. The equivalent employment rate for all postgraduate trainees, whether they received a bursary or not, is 73%.

The Department does not currently hold data showing the employment rate of bursary recipients after five years.

For trainees starting Initial Teacher Training in the 2023/24 academic year, the Department is providing a £27,000 tax free bursary and a £29,000 scholarship in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. The Department is also providing a Levelling Up Premium of up to £3,000 tax free annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. These incentives are designed to support the recruitment and retention of teachers in these subjects, and to encourage them to work in the schools and areas that need them most.

DSIT funds chemistry research through UK Research and Innovation. UKRI’s action to address underrepresentation is guided by its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and its council’s action plans which are published on its website: EDI strategy and action plans – UKRI.

In addition, in 2022 Research England and the Office for Students announced £8 million funding to 13 projects that will seek to widen participation in postgraduate research amongst black, Asian and minority ethnic students.

DSIT continues to work with UKRI and DfE to consider further steps to support access to and widen participation in the research system.

The department has not had discussions with representatives of AQA about the alleged leak of material from an A level chemistry paper. While serious exam malpractice remains rare, it is vital that any breach is thoroughly investigated by the exam boards.

Exam boards have well established processes in place to manage such incidents. AQA have confirmed that their Exams Integrity team is investigating these reports and they will take any action necessary, including working with the police.

While such leaks are very rare, exam boards have demonstrated previously that they are able to effectively gather evidence about the students who had unauthorised access to any questions before the exam was taken. In the event of a leak, Ofqual will work with the exam board to minimise the impact on students.

The department is aware of the reports around an alleged leak of material from a A-level Chemistry paper and we take all allegations of wrongdoing extremely seriously. While serious exam malpractice remains rare, it is vital that any breach is thoroughly investigated by the exam boards.

Exam boards have well established processes in place to manage such incidents. AQA have confirmed that their exams integrity team is investigating these reports and they will take any action necessary, including working with the police.

Exam boards have demonstrated previously that they are able to effectively gather evidence about the students who had unauthorised access to any questions before the exam was taken. In the event of a leak, Ofqual will work with the exam board to minimise the impact on students.

The Government is committed to cementing the UK’s status as a global science superpower, and recognises that great people are at the heart of great research and development (R&D).

In July, we published the R&D People and Culture Strategy which sets a long-term course for research talent development and underlines our goal to ensure the UK is the most exciting place in the world for top research and innovation talent.

The Strategy sets out the actions that government and the sector, including universities, will take to ensure the UK R&D workforce has the capability and capacity it needs both now and in the future - across all disciplines.

The Government’s long-term objectives for R&D are clear: to invest in the science and research that will deliver economic growth and societal benefits across the UK for decades to come, and to build the foundations for the new industries of tomorrow.

We are investing a record £14.9 billion in R&D in 2021/22 and remain committed to achieving our target of increasing total R&D investment to 2.4% by 2027.

In July 2021, the Government published the Innovation Strategy, which included an assessment of the seven technology families where the UK has globally competitive R&D and industrial strength. The families included Advanced Materials and the application of Artificial Intelligence (an AI specific strategy launched in September 2021). The Innovation strategy considered how the government could support the development of these technologies by de-risking industry activity through investment, prioritisation and the use of its convening power. The National Science and Technology Council, chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, will help identify and prioritise technologies that will make the UK a Science and Tech superpower.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Department collects information on teacher numbers from the School Workforce Census but does not hold information on the available number of supply teachers in specialist subject areas.

I share your concern around the proposed closure of the Chemistry department at Bangor University and the impact this could have on Welsh language provision of undergraduate chemistry courses.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales Nigel Adams MP has spoken with the Dean of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Bangor University on this issue, and I am planning a number of trips to Welsh universities over the coming months. The University has provided assurances that students currently studying at the university will be unaffected and we will raise concerns of future provision with the Vice Chancellors and the Welsh Government’s Education Minister.

We have regular discussions with Universities in North Wales regarding the North Wales Growth Deal, and the UK Government Minister for Wales recently visited Bangor University on 15 November 2018. However, growth deals are locally led and it is for the region to determine the impact of such developments on their proposals.