HL Deb 09 March 1995 vol 562 cc30-2WA
Baroness Gould of Potternewton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the level of funding allocated from the Science Budget to priority initiatives, and on which programmes it was spent.

The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Howe):

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced on 2 February 1995 the allocation, subject to parliamentary approval, of the Science Budget of £1,281.675 million for 1995–96. Details were set out in the paper Allocation of the Science Budget 1995–96, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House.

To ensure that momentum is maintained with implementing the science, engineering and technology White Paper Realising Our Potential, the Government decided that some 5 per cent.—or £67 million—of the Science Budget should be targeted to priority initiatives aimed specifically at taking White Paper issues forward. This figure, which includes the funding necessary to continue the priority initiatives started in 1994–95, was allocated as follows:

£million
Improved interaction with industry
Realising Our Potential Awards 21.55
Additional funding for LINK 3.00
Innovative Manufacturing Initiative 2.00
Industrial Quota CASE and collaborative studentships 1.45
Enhancement of underpinning strategic science
Chemistry 7.60
Physics, Mathematics and Medicine 2.40
Genome/immunology 9.55
Bioprocessing Innovation 1.00
Wealth-creating products from plants 1.00
Environmental diagnostics 1.00
Cognitive engineering 0.60
Funding for infrastructure grants 3.00
Increase in the Research Training Support Grant 1.04
Enhancement of people-related programmes
Royal Society programmes (including expansion of University Research Fellowships and launch of the

£million
Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship scheme) 1.50
Programmes run by the Royal Academy of Engineering (including industrial secondments, RAEng research chairs and expansion of the visiting professor scheme) 0.80
Additional funding for Public Understanding of Science, Engineering and Technology 0.25
Establishment of an International Subscriptions Reserve 8.00
Contingency for the establishment of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils 1.50
Total 67.24

Baroness Gould of Potternewton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of the Science Budget is devoted to research into new technology designed to improve the lives of disabled people; and what proportion to the promotion of women in the fields of science, engineering and technology.

Earl Howe:

The research councils are currently spending some 0.4 per cent. of the Science Budget—over £4.5 million—on research into new technology intended to improve the lives of disabled people. This is in addition to the money spent by the Department of Health, the European Union, healthcare industries, the UK drugs industry and medical charities.

It is not possible accurately to quantify the extent to which the Science Budget funds are devoted to the promotion of women in science, engineering and technology. However the research councils undertake a significant range of activities which are in part devoted to the promotion of women in these areas.