A new government department, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), has been established, by merging the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) with the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The new department will be headed by Lord Mandelson. Although higher education will now be the responsibility of a very senior member of the government, the department's name no longer includes the word university and it has been commented in the Times Higher that this change appears to strengthen the view that higher education policy is being increasingly driven by economic considerations.
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Last updated: 11 June 2009