Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they feel that clinical medical research is given a fair weighting in the research assessment exercise.
§ Baroness BlackstoneThe conduct and outcome of the research assessment exercise are a matter for the higher education funding bodies. I welcome their current review of the 1996 exercise and their intention to consult on future options in the light of any relevant recommendations from the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, which is expected to report shortly. It will be open to any who feel that clinical medical research has not been given a fair weighting in the recent exercise to raise such concerns then.