§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what resources he expects to make available to the five research councils to enable the re-equipment of laboratories and the replacement of aging apparatus; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. JacksonOn 15 November at columns272–76, my right hon. Friend announced that an additional £61 million would be made available for the science budget in 1990–91, together with planning additions for the next two years of £58 million and £59 million. He announced the allocations to the five research councils on 10 January at columns 623–24. It is for the research councils to determine how to spend the additional funds made available to them.
687WHowever, in its advice to the Secretary of State on the allocations, the Advisory Board for the Research Councils advised that a high proportion of these funds should be directed to preserving the quality of United Kingdom science. The ABRC also suggested that the research councils should deploy some of these additional funds to increase equipment provision through research grants, and that funding of new research programmes and interdisciplinary research centres would also include some provision for equipment.
§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what are his long-term plans with respect to the formation of a national research council; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what are his plans for reform of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what are his proposals for establishing a working group to examine the scope for merging the AFRC and the NERC; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. JacksonThe proposal for a single national research council was made in the report of a review group established by the Advisory Board for the Research Councils to look at the organisation of council responsibilities for biological sciences. The culmination of this process was the advice offered by the chairman of the board in his letter of 15 November to my right hon. Friend which recommended that the ABRC should be reconstituted as a smaller body specifically charged with promoting greater harmonisation of research council activities. The board also offered advice about improving co-ordination between the AFRC and NERC research programmes, particularly in terrestrial life sciences.
My right hon. Friend wrote to the chairman of the ABRC on 19 January announcing the Government's decision to reconstitute the ABRC from 1 April as recommended by the board; and noting that he and his colleagues were considering the board's subsequent advice concerning the AFRC and NERC. For the full text of the letter I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Martin) on 19 January.