[holding answer 21 May 2007]: We have increased funding by over 20 per cent. in real terms since 1997 and now spend £10 billion a year on higher education, but we cannot by law fund Irish studies centres or any other centres directly since each higher education institution is responsible for spending the block grant we provide through the Higher Education Funding Council for England as it sees fit and for deciding how to organise teaching and research and the subjects to be studied, taking account of student demand.