§ 31. Mr. Simon CoombsTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will pay an official visit to the research councils in Swindon to discuss future funding.
§ The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. William Waldegrave)I held a meeting last week with chairmen and the chief executives of the research councils and I expect to visit Swindon in July.
§ Mr. CoombsDoes my right hon. Friend agree that, in general principle and as far as possible, resources should be concentrated on scientific research at the sharp end? Is he happy with the fact that as much as £3.5 million a year is being withheld by his Office for centralised activities such as the technology foresight programme?
§ Mr. WaldegraveI can reassure my hon. Friend. First, the cost of the foresight exercise is about £2 million. Secondly, the costs will come from the running costs of my Department, not from the science base, which is protected. I agree that the money should go to science, which is why the new Director General of Research Councils recently gained £7.5 million in efficiency savings from the research councils to plough back into front-line science.
§ Dr. BrayIs the Chancellor aware of the danger of the erosion of support for the science base because of the need to support teaching that should be done at undergraduate level and financed by the Higher Education Funding Council and the Department for Education?
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe hon. Gentleman touches on an important point. As he knows, we have put out a consultation paper about potential changes in postgraduate teaching. There is a growth of four-year courses in some of our science and engineering schools; some of that growth is welcome, but it needs close analysis to compare its output with that of other routes.