HC Deb 28 November 1996 vol 286 cc364-5W
Mr. Dalyell

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of Government expenditure on funding of(a) fundamental research and (b) applied research, in the expectation of profitable outcome for each year since 1990; and what proportion in currently available figures this represents of the total available to his Department for scientific research. [4272]

Mr. Ian Taylor

[holding answer 25 November 1996]The information is not available in the form requested. Government-funded research is classified into basic research and applied research, using the definitions in the OECD publication, "The Measurement of Scientific Activities", the so-called "Frascati Manual"—OECD Paris, 1994. ISBN 926414202 9. The breakdown by these categories over the years 1990–91 and 1994–95 for both total Government expenditure and DTI implementation on research is as follows:

Net Government research expenditure by Frascati type of research activity
£million cash
1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95
Total Government research
Basic 1,288 1,362 1,512 1,572 1,722
Applied 1,799 1,734 1,846 2,069 1,955
Total 3,087 3,097 3,358 3,641 3,677
Applied as percentage of total research 58 56 55 57 53
Government civil research
Science and engineering base (SEB)
Basic 1,222 1,299 1,428 1,470 1,641
Applied 463 485 509 591 509
Applied as percentage of total SEB research 27 27 26 29 24
Other civil research
Basic 83 75 61 68 83
Applied 911 793 803 822 780
Applied as percentage of total other civil research 92 91 93 92 90
Total civil research
Basic 1,291 1,361 1,511 1,571 1,724
Applied 1,408 1,325 1,310 1,415 1,287
Total 2,698 2,686 2,820 2,986 3,011
Applied as percentage of total civil research 52 49 46 47 43
Government defence research
Basic 0 0 0 0 0
Applied 389 411 538 654 666
Total 389 411 538 654 666
Department of Trade and Industry research
Basic 0 0 0 2 2
Applied 420 278 278 267 236
Total 420 278 278 269 238
Applied as percentage of total DTI research 100 100 100 99 99

Source:

Annual Reviews of Government funded R and D, 1992, 1993.

Forward Looks of Government funded SET, 1994, I995.SET Statistics 1996.