§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many reports and publications he has received from the Social Science Research Council since May 1979, and on what subjects.
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§ Mr. MacfarlaneSince May 1979 my right hon. and learned Friend has received four reports and publications from the Social Science Research Council. Two were annual reports for the two years 1978–79–1979–80 and two pamphlets
Research Supported by the Social Science Research Council, 1979Research Supported by the Social Science Research Council, 1980The titles indicate the subjects of the pamphlets.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much the Social Science Research Council has overspent or underspent its budget in each year since its formation; what has been the total number of staff in each year; and how that compares with the current number.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe information concerning the council's annual outturns is as follows (all figures are at historic prices):
Year Amount Underspent £ 1965–66 6,000 1966–67 119,000 1967–68 292,000 1968–69 258,000 1969–70 115,000 1970–71 Nil 1971–72 Nil 1972–73 295 1973–74 278,001 1974–75 Nil 1975–76 327 1976–77 130,198 1977–78 950,000 1978–79 282,000 1979–80 Nil In some of the years for which no underspend is shown, all amounts of overspending were covered by the Council's permitted working balance. The largest sum overspent was £4,543, in 1979–80.
The Council's staff complement for the years 1971 to 1980, together with the total number of staff in post on 1 April of the year concerned, are given in the table below. Similar information is not available for years prior to 1971:
Year Staff complement Staff in post on 1 April 1971 147 130 1972 155 143 1973 174 154 1974 195 167 1975 246 218 1976 251 235 1977 243 229 1978 247 214 1979 248 205 1980 248 235 The number of staff in post on 1 April 1980 (given in the above table) is the most recent figure available.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what has been the total cost to public funds of the Social Science Research Council since its formation; what checks are made on how the funds granted to the council are spent; what economies are to be 374W made since the Chancellor's statement of 24 November 1980; and what reduction in costs to public funds of the council there has been since May 1979;
(2) what is the cost to public funds in the current year of the Social Science Research Council; and whether he is satisfied that its current expenditure is in line with its budget.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe total grant-in-aid made to the Social Science Research Council in the period since its inception on 1 December 1965 to 31 March 1980, was £97.34 million; in addition the council received a total of £0.76 million for commissioned work for Government Departments over the same period. These figures represent an aggregation of annual grant-in-aids, and of receipts for commissioned work, at historic prices.
The way in which the council spends its allocation from the science budget is primarily a matter for the council itself. But the council has to seek authority from the Department of Education and Science for certain items of expenditure which are estimated to exceed laid down levels. In addition to the council's own internal audit arrangements, its books and accounts are open to inspection by the Exchequer and Audit Department and the Department's chief internal auditor is authorised to question the council about its procedures.
My right hon. and learned Friend announced on 16 December that the science budget will bear £2 million of the total cut in the budget of the Department of Education and Science which was announced on 24 November 1980. No final decision has yet been made on the allocation of this cut between the recipient bodies of the science budget.
The estimated provision for the SSRC in 1979–80 was reduced by £1.5 million in June 1979, and the provision in the Estimates for 1980–81 published in March 1980 represented a further reduction of 2.6 per cent. at constant prices. To date, the provision from the science budget for the council for the current year is £19.92 million; the council's receipts from Government Departments for commissioned work in the current year are estimated to be £0.13 million. The council has recently advised the Department that there is a danger that its spending may go beyond this, and the implications are under discussion with it.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what sum has been spent by the Social Science Research Council on advertising for and recruitment of staff since May 1979;
(2) what sum has been spent on publicity and advertising by the Social Science Research Council since May 1979.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneSince May 1979, the Social Science Research Council has spent £17,030 on advertising for, and recruitment of, staff. In the same period, the sum spent by the council on publicity and advertising is £6,058.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the rateable values of offices occupied by the Social Science Research Council.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe rateable value of the council's headquarters office is £116,138. Other offices occupied by the council's units are sited in university buildings. Separate rateable values for such offices cannot readily be ascertained.