§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the funds released by phasing out public support for near-market research in agriculture, 744WA fisheries and food will be used to support other science, and, if so, whether that support will be directed exclusively to agricultural science.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Trumpington)I regret the fact that the reply I gave at the end of the debate on 21st April does not fully reflect the complexity of the situation.
The money released from funding near-market research is all being deployed into other government funded civil research and development in basic and strategic science. The allocation of funds within the science base is a matter for the Advisory Board for the Research Councils to determine in the light of all the relevant factors, including scientific opportunities and priorities. For 1989–90, AFRC funding from the science base has risen from £62 million to £75 million. The agricultural departments in Great Britain will also be receiving extra funding of £2 million in 1990–91, rising to £5 million in 1991–92, to support strategic research.