§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the Government's plans for expenditure on education and science over the next three years.
§ Mr. Kenneth Baker[pursuant to his reply, 1 November 1988]: Further to my announcement that I am allocating an extra £14 million for urgently needed equipment for basic science in 1988–89, and subject to parliamentary 725W approval, extra moneys will be provided in the current year to the research councils, the universities and the Royal Society as follows:
£ million in 1988–89 AFRC 1.70 MRC 3.00 NERC 1.00 SERC 3.05 Royal Society 0.25 UGC 5.00 TOTAL 14.00 In making these allocations I have had particularly in mind the advice I received last May from the Advisory Board for the Research Councils on the equipment needs of the science base. Their detailed use will be for each body to decide, having regard to the overall purpose of providing equipment to support basic science. I understand that the research councils expect to use the money both in their own establishments and in the universities in such fields as the biological sciences, neurosciences, marine science and computing. The addition for the Royal Society should allow some further 70 to 80 equipment grants to be made to holders of the society's junior research appointments.