§ Mrs. Renee Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he is satisfied with the support currently available for basic research in chemistry, mathematics, physics and biology; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will increase the funds available to the Science Research Council to ensure that it can support all the alpha applications submitted to it; if he will 343W give details of (a) the alpha applications that are to be funded by the Science Research Council in the current year and (b) those alpha applications it has had to turn down.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneMost of the research referred to by the hon. Member comes within the scope of the Science Research Council which receives more than half the Department's science budget. In the current year the science budget amounts to £300 million at 1979 survey prices, and the Government expenditure plans published in Cmnd. 7841 provide for an increase in the future level so that, by 1983–84, it will, in real terms, be about 5 per cent. above that achieved in 1978–79. This provision is being made at a time when total planned public expenditure is being progressively reduced, and reflects the importance which the Government attach to the support of basic scientific research, as an investment in this country's industrial and intellectual future.
Under guidelines recommended by the Advisory Board for the Research Councils and recently approved by my right hon. and learned Friend, on the basis of the plans in Cmnd. 7841, small increases are envisaged in the level of the Science Research Council's allocation in 1981–82 and 1982–83.
During the current year, the Science Research Council has funded over 560 applications for research grants graded alpha and turned down 105.