University Performance 2023-11-22
2023-11-22
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The question arises from concerns about the performance and recognition of Northern Ireland's universities based on impact rankings.
Whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy on improving the performance of Northern Irish universities as measured by the impact rankings.
Northern Ireland has outstanding universities and a high share of its population is educated to degree level. My ministerial colleagues and I have the pleasure of regularly engaging with Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University, and we are proud to promote these institutions in the rest of the UK and internationally.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific strategies or actions to improve university rankings were not addressed
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The question stems from a visit where the MP discussed with local businesses and universities their concerns about the government's lack of responsiveness, impacting their ability to meet UN targets.
Is the Minister aware that when I was speaking on the deck of the Titanic centre only two weeks ago, I was thinking about him and the Conservative Government? Is he also aware that I was speaking to universities and local businesses that are deeply worried about the inability of universities and businesses to get answers from the Government to enable them to meet the targets of the very important impact assessment from the United Nations?
As keen as I am to keep abreast of the hon. Gentleman's thoughts, I was not aware of his particular insights on that occasion. Of course, we continue to work with the universities and the Northern Ireland civil service, and I am keen to work with him on the success of those universities.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific actions or responses from the government were not addressed
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The question arises from impressive work on cyber-security being done at Queen's University Belfast, raising the need to utilise this expertise for national cyber-resilience.
Staff and students at Queen's University Belfast are doing some incredibly impressive work on cyber-security. What can Ministers do to ensure that that expertise is deployed to make us a more cyber-resilient nation?
I am most grateful to my right hon. Friend. I had the pleasure of visiting the national Centre for Secure Information Technologies, and I had a particularly interesting time testing some of its systems—I do not think I should comment any further on that particular experience.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific measures or deployment strategies were not provided
Response accuracy