Capital Investment (Hansard, 6 May 1993)

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the planned capital investment in cash and real terms by(a) Government and (b) private sources in each of the non-departmental bodies sponsored by his Ministry and engaged in research, for each year since 1978 and the proposed expenditure for the next three years beginning 1993.

§ Mr. Gummer
The information that is available on capital investment by the relevant bodies without incurring disproportionate cost is as follows. The data cannot be divided between Government and private sources.
of the "Frascati Manual"—the measurement of scientific and technical activities—published by the OECD, Paris 1981. The manual identifies three types of research and development work—basic research, applied research and experimental development. Applied research may have either strategic or specified aims and be subdivided accordingly.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimates he has made of the cost to non-departmental bodies sponsored by his Ministry of 227W the 1992 devaluation of the pound sterling as this affects funding sourced from international subscriptions; and what changes have been made to research programme budgets in consequence.

§ Mr. Gummer
I have made no such estimates and I am not aware of any such costs.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many Government-funded research stations relating to(a) agriculture, (b) horticulture and (c) food have either closed or been lost through amalgamation since 1978; and how many jobs in (i) research and scientific grades and (ii) other grades were shed as a consequence of each closure each year.

§ Mr. Gummer
The numbers of Government-funded research stations which have closed or amalgamated since 1978 are as follows:

Stations relating to: Closed Amalgamated

Agriculture 10 11

Horticulture 5 8

Food 2 1

Statistics on job losses are not held centrally in the form requested, nor are they monitored site by site in every instance. Moreover, some losses will have arisen for other reasons and some staff will have been redeployed by parent organisations

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the Government's investment plans with respect to agriculture, horticulture and food research for each year until 1996.

§ Mr. Gummer
My Department's estimates of proposed expenditure on agriculture, horticulture and food research are £123.9 million in 1994–95 and £126.4 million in 1995–96.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was total Government expenditure and non-departmental external expenditure in agriculture, horticulture and food research for each year since 1978 in cash and real terms; and what proportion of the total funding requirement of non-departmental research bodies linked to his Ministry has been met from external non-governmental sources since 1978.

§ Mr. Gummer
I have given details of total Government expenditure on agriculture, horticulture and food research in response to another of the hon. Member's questions. Comprehensive information is not available on non-departmental external expenditure. The amount of funding met from external non-governmental sources as a proportion of the total research and development budget for the non-departmental research bodies linked to my Department is as follows.

External non-governmental funding as a proportion (per cent.) of total R&D budget.

1990–91 1991–92 1992–93

Horticultural Development Council 100.0 100.0 100.0

Apple and Pear Research Council 100.0 100.0 100.0

Meat and Livestock Commission 48.3 55.3 55.0

228W

1990–91 1991–92 1992–93

Horticulture Research International 23.6 22.6 23.9

National Institute of Agricultural Botany 68.0 36.2 33.2

Home Grown Cereals Authority 100.0 100.0 100.0

Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew) 0.7 2.4 5.1

Potato Marketing Board 90.0 93.8 97.1

Comparable figures for years before 1990–91 are not available.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the policy underlying the current research programmes and how each programme ranks in terms of the priority he attaches to them.

§ Mr. Gummer
Research is undertaken to support the Ministry's aims which are to protect the public, to improve the economic performance of the agriculture, fishing and food industries, enhance the rural and marine environment, prevent flooding and coastal erosion and protect farmed animals and fish.
The Priorities Board for Research and Development in Agriculture and Food advises Agriculture Ministers and the chairman of the Agriculture and Food Research Council on priorities for research and development and the allocation of research and development budgets. The board's recommendations guide the allocation of resources in the research and development programme.
Research and development strategy documents for agriculture and food are published by the Ministry. These are available in the House of Commons Library.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the research establishments and projects which have received funding from either the Agriculture Research Council or Horticulture International in the last year; and if he will list the amounts involved.

§ Mr. Gummer
Horticulture Research International is not a funding body. The research establishments which received funding from the Agricultural and Food Research Council in the last year, together with the amounts involved, are as follows:

£ million

Institute for Animal Health 12.58

Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research 14.01

Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research 8.34

Institute of Arable Crops Research 12.35

Horticulture Research International 2.57

Institute of Plant Science Research 9.67

Institute of Food Research 12.73

Silsoe Research Institute 5.34

In addition, the Agricultural and Food Research Council's research grant expenditure with universities and other academic institutes amounted to £23.71 million.
Information on individual projects can be found in the AFRC handbook, copies of which are available in the Library of the House of Commons.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many personnel were employed in 229W (a)agriculture, (b)horticulture and (c)food research in (i) research and scientific grades and (ii) other grades, in each area in each year since 1978.

§ Mr. Gummer
Staffing statistics are not kept on the basis requested and so the information is not available.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the research programmes since 1990 which have been subject to a cut in funding by 5 or more per cent. and those programmes which have been cancelled, including those which were never brought on stream.

§ Mr. Gummer
The level of funding by my Department is kept under constant review both during each year and from year to year, in order to make the best possible use of available resources. Changes in the funding of individual research programmes are an inevitable consequence of this policy. Details of expenditure by my Department, both increases and decreases, for individual research programmes since 1991–92 are given in the table. Comparable figures for earlier years are not available.

Research group 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94

£ million £ million £ million¹

(a) Horticulture, Plant Protection and Agricultural Resources Policy Group 8.3 9.7 10.5

(b) Arable Crops and Alcoholic Drinks Group 3.8 3.9 4.5

(c) Meat Group 6.1 6.3 6.7

(d) Pesticides, Veterinary Medicines and Emergencies Group 22.2 23.5 21.6

(e) Animal Health and Veterinary Group 19.9 20.8 22.0

(f) Chief Scientist's Group (Agriculture and Horticulture) 5.8 7.9 7.8

(g) Environmental Policy Group 12.9 13.1 13.5

(h) Food, Drink and Marketing Policy Group 3.8 4.5 5.9

(i) Food Safety Group 0.0 0.0 0.3

(j) Land Use Conservation and Rural Economy Group 2.9 3.7 5.8

(k) Food Science Group 18.4 18.3 21.2

(l) Aquatic Environment, Salmon whaling and inland fisheries, conservation of sea fish stock; fish farming and shellfish production 8.3 8.9 9.1

¹ Estimate.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the organisations in the(a) public and (b) private sectors to which the Government make funds available for research with respect to agriculture, horticulture and food.

§ Mr. Gummer
A record of the organisations to which the Government make funds available for agriculture, horticulture and food research is not kept centrally. My Department, however, contracts research mainly with the following categories of research organisations:

Research Councils

Other Government Departments

Higher Education Institutions

Private industries and companies

Public companies and corporations

Research Associations, Authorities, Boards and Commissions
230
Non-industrial Research Institutes

MAFF Agencies, ie ADAS, Central Science Laboratory, Central Veterinary Laboratory

MAFF's Food Science Laboratory

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total Government expenditure for agriculture, horticulture and food research for each year since 1978 in cash and real terms; and what funding is to be made available to the Agriculture and Food Research Council and Horticulture Research International for the five years beginning 1993.

§ Mr. Gummer
Government funding for research and development on agriculture, horticulture and food is mainly directed through the Agricultural and Food Research Council—AFRC—the Scottish Office Agriculture and Food Department and the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland and my own Department. Expenditure on such research from these sources is given in the table, in cash and real terms:

Year Cash Real terms¹

£ million £ million

1978–79 n/a n/a

1979–80 n/a n/a

1980–81 n/a n/a

1981–82 n/a n/a

1982–83 n/a n/a

1983–84 n/a n/a

1984–85 191.8 290.2

1985–86 190.3 273.0

1986–87 192.7 267.6

1987–88 190.9 251.5

1988–89 203.2 249.6

1989–90 210.6 242.6

1990–91 239.7 255.5

1991–92 247.8 247.8

1992–93 273.7 264.4

1993–94 288.2 271.1

¹ using the GDP inflator (1991–92 = 100)

A number of other Government bodies fund research into agriculture, horticulture and food but figures on their expenditure are not held centrally.
The amount of funding made available to AFRC from the science budget of the Office of Science and Technology and from my Department amounts to £145 million in 1993–94. Funding available to Horticulture Research International amounts to £13.5 million in 1993–94. The allocation of funds in future years will be notified to the AFRC and HRI as soon as decisions have been reached.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was Government expenditure in nominal and real terms for each year since 1978 for research into(a) the relationship between farming and the environment, (b) organic farming, (c) whole crop utilisation and novel crops including alternative uses for arable crops, (d) raising the productive potential of the principal agricultural commodities, (e) food safety and (f) animal welfare.

§ Mr. Gummer
Information regarding Government expenditure is given in the table. Details of expenditure are available for the financial years 1991–92 and 1992–93 only. The spend for 1993–94 has yet to be finalised. Prior to 1991–92 the data were not recorded in the required format and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.
231W

1991–92 1992–93

Cash Real terms¹ Cash Real terms¹

£ million £ million £ million £ million

(a) Farming and environment 56.6 56.5 63.9 61.7

(b) Organic farming 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.1

(c) Whole crop utilisation 4.2 4.2 4.8 4.6

(d) Plant and animal breeding and genetics 25.0 25.0 21.4 20.7

(e) Food safety 11.5 11.5 14.5 14.0

(f) Animal welfare 6.6 6.6 7.6 7.3

¹ Using GDP deflator (1991–92= 100).

Notes
The data presented are of direct relevance to the topic areas identified. Other research work, not included here, also touches upon these areas and is of indirect relevance.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of the total expenditure of his Ministry for each year since April 1991 and over the next three years is accounted for by research and development projects aimed at reducing the cost of the common agricultural policy to the consumer and to public funds.

§ Mr. Gummer
The question is not answerable in the terms in which it is posed. Reduction in the cost of the CAP is an objective which pervades a very wide range of MAFF's policies, many of which are supported by research and development programmes.

§ Dr. Strang
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of his Ministry's research funds for each year since 1978 has been expanded on(a) pure and (b) applied projects.

§ Mr. Gummer
As I have indicated in response to another of the hon. Member's questions, my Department's research funds are classified by the definitions of the "Frascati Manual" and details are set out in the table.

Year Basic research Applied strategic Research specific Experimental development Total

£ million £ million £ million £ million £ million

1978–79 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

1979–80 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

1980–81 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

1981–82 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

1982–83 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

1983–84 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

1984–85 6.4 20.7 46.5 45.8 119.4

1985–86 4.5 38.1 43.1 32.7 118.4

1986–87 4.9 34.9 43.3 35.2 118.3

1987–88 5.5 32.5 42.1 33.7 113.8

1988–89 5.7 41.5 40.7 26.3 114.2

1989–90 6.3 45.0 48.6 12.2 112.1

1990–91 8.6 47.9 51.0 11.6 119.1

1991–92 10.6 54.4 54.9 1.6 121.5

n/a =not available
Figures for 1992–93 are not yet available.

Stations relating to:	Closed	Amalgamated
Agriculture	10	11
Horticulture	5	8
Food	2	1

External non-governmental funding as a proportion (per cent.) of total R&D budget.
	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93
Horticultural Development Council	100.0	100.0	100.0
Apple and Pear Research Council	100.0	100.0	100.0
Meat and Livestock Commission	48.3	55.3	55.0

	£ million
Institute for Animal Health	12.58
Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research	14.01
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research	8.34
Institute of Arable Crops Research	12.35
Horticulture Research International	2.57
Institute of Plant Science Research	9.67
Institute of Food Research	12.73
Silsoe Research Institute	5.34

Research group	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94
	£ million	£ million	£ million¹
(a) Horticulture, Plant Protection and Agricultural Resources Policy Group	8.3	9.7	10.5
(b) Arable Crops and Alcoholic Drinks Group	3.8	3.9	4.5
(c) Meat Group	6.1	6.3	6.7
(d) Pesticides, Veterinary Medicines and Emergencies Group	22.2	23.5	21.6
(e) Animal Health and Veterinary Group	19.9	20.8	22.0
(f) Chief Scientist's Group (Agriculture and Horticulture)	5.8	7.9	7.8
(g) Environmental Policy Group	12.9	13.1	13.5
(h) Food, Drink and Marketing Policy Group	3.8	4.5	5.9
(i) Food Safety Group	0.0	0.0	0.3
(j) Land Use Conservation and Rural Economy Group	2.9	3.7	5.8
(k) Food Science Group	18.4	18.3	21.2
(l) Aquatic Environment, Salmon whaling and inland fisheries, conservation of sea fish stock; fish farming and shellfish production	8.3	8.9	9.1
¹ Estimate.

Year	Cash	Real terms¹
	£ million	£ million
1978–79	n/a	n/a
1979–80	n/a	n/a
1980–81	n/a	n/a
1981–82	n/a	n/a
1982–83	n/a	n/a
1983–84	n/a	n/a
1984–85	191.8	290.2
1985–86	190.3	273.0
1986–87	192.7	267.6
1987–88	190.9	251.5
1988–89	203.2	249.6
1989–90	210.6	242.6
1990–91	239.7	255.5
1991–92	247.8	247.8
1992–93	273.7	264.4
1993–94	288.2	271.1
¹ using the GDP inflator (1991–92 = 100)

Year	Basic research	Applied strategic	Research specific	Experimental development	Total
	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million	£ million
1978–79	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1979–80	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1980–81	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1981–82	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1982–83	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1983–84	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
1984–85	6.4	20.7	46.5	45.8	119.4
1985–86	4.5	38.1	43.1	32.7	118.4
1986–87	4.9	34.9	43.3	35.2	118.3
1987–88	5.5	32.5	42.1	33.7	113.8
1988–89	5.7	41.5	40.7	26.3	114.2
1989–90	6.3	45.0	48.6	12.2	112.1
1990–91	8.6	47.9	51.0	11.6	119.1
1991–92	10.6	54.4	54.9	1.6	121.5