Finance Bill

The hon. Lady is right to raise that point, and I have no difficulty with it at all. The closer we can get to the activity, the better. I would support such a general move. Our educational institutions have a vital role to play in creating regional clusters of skills and industries around the country. We must bring them in more. Some are desperate to get in. Newcastle university, for example, is keen to get some of its wonderful scientific and technological breakthroughs translated into an applied state so that they can benefit the region. The regional development agencies ought to give universities more assistance in that respect.