§ Dr. TwinnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the allocation of the science budget. [11469]
§ Mr. LangI have discussed the allocations with the director general of research councils and have decided that, subject to parliamentary approval of the supply estimates in due course, the science budget of £1,330.327 million should be allocated as follows:
Science budget allocations and planning assumptions £ Million Allocation Planning figures 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 BBSRC 183.300 185.445 184.193 ESRC 64.896 66.021 65.132 EPSRC 386.373 381.098 379.050 MRC 289.070 288.949 287.618 NERC 165.116 169.131 168.295 PPARC 191.850 194.289 194.094 International Sub.Reserve 8.800 13.000 13.000 CCLRC 1.450 1.450 1.000 Pensions 11.530 9.547 9.547 Royal Society Royal 22.271 22.621 22.871 Academy 3.370 3.436 3.486 OST Initiatives 2.302 2.381 2.381 Foresight Challenge — 1.000 2.000 Total 1,330.327 1,338.367 1,332.667 These allocations will enable the research councils and other funded bodies to maintain the momentum in the key areas identified for national research and to carry forward the policies set out in the 1993 White Paper, "Realising Our Potential". An additional £17 million over three years has been allocated for urgent additional research into transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
Further details are available in the paper, "Allocation of the Science Budget 1997–98", which I have placed in the Library of the House.