HC Deb 10 January 1990 vol 164 cc621-2W
Mr. Amos

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the distribution of the science budget for 1990–91.

Mr. MacGregor

I have considered the advice of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils and have decided that the £897 million science budget for 1990–91 should, subject to approval by Parliament of the Estimates in due course, be allocated as follows:

£ million
Agricultural and Food Research Council 86.57
Economic and Social Research Council 36.17
Medical Research Council 185.71
Natural Environment Research Council 136.05
Science and Engineering Research Council 437.12
The Royal Society 13.94
The Fellowship of Engineering 1.19
Science Policy Studies 0.23
Centre for Exploitation of Science and Technology 0.08

At £897 million, the science budget in 1990–91 is £189 million higher than expenditure in 1988–89—an increase of 27 per cent. over two years. Over the last two public expenditure exercises the Government have increased provision by £490 million; and expenditure in real terms in 1990–91 will be more than 28 per cent. higher than in 1979–80. This is further evidence for the scientific community of the importance which the Government attach to civil science in the research councils and the universities.

The increased provision next year should enable the research councils to sustain the momentum created by the substantial increase in science funding in 1989–90. Over £17 million is available towards the construction costs of the royal research ship James Clark Ross, £2.8 million towards the cost of the remote sensing instruments associated with the earth remote sensing-2 satellite and the polar platforms, and £6 million towards the cost of the refitting of the royal research ship Discovery, all of which will make important contributions to the United Kingdom's programme of global environmental research. The natural environment research council is particularly prominent in this field, and the provision made will enable the council significantly to enhance its contribution to the world ocean circulation experiment.

I am also pleased that the settlement will mean that the research councils are able to sustain and strengthen their current initiatives to maintain an adequate supply of highly qualified manpower; and that the AFRC will be able to press ahead with the restructuring of its institutes and to establish a programme on slow virus research with particular relevance to bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

I am publishing the board's advice today. Copies are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.