§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what effect the current and projected expenditure curbs are likely to have on basic medical research.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe funds for medical education and research in universities, provided as part of the overall block grant to each university through the University Grants Committee, can be expected to take a share of any reductions arising from the grant distributions announced on 2 July, but the distribution of the block grant within each university is for that university to decide.
The Medical Research Council, which receives almost all its funds as a grant-in-aid from the Department's science budget, is responsible under its charter for the support of specific biomedical research projects. As between 1980–81 and 1981–82 there was no effective change in the level of the council's grant-in-aid, though it is probable that there will be some squeeze, equal to the extent by which the council's pay and price movements exceed the revaluation factors used in Supply Estimates 1981–82. I am at present considering the advice, which I have received from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils, on the distribution of the science budget in 1982–83, and the decisions on the individual allocations, including that of the Medical Research Council, will be announced in due course.