§ Dr. MoonieTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to announce the membership and remit of the new Council for Science and Technology.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIn due course.
§ Dr. MoonieTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will provide additional funds for his science and technology public awareness campaign in addition to money supplied from existing budgets.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Government have made clear that they will continue to allocate public resources on the scale necessary to finance the policies in the White Paper.
§ Dr. MoonieTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under what circumstances he expects reports of the Council for Science and Technology to be withheld from publication.
§ Mr. WaldegraveReports generated by the council will normally be made openly available. The need to respect commercially sensitive information would be one factor which might prevent this.
§ Dr. MoonieTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what criteria he uses for the commission of external advice on science and technology matters.
§ Mr. WaldegraveCommissioning external advice is considered on a case-by-case basis when policy decisions on science or technology issues would benefit from an informed contribution from high-quality independent experts.