§ Mr. GallieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what decisions have been made about the Scottish agricultural and biological institutes following the prior options review. [13860]
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§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe Government announced on 22 May 1996 that we were satisfied that the functions of two Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes—the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and the Scottish Crop Research Institute—were needed and that the institutes should retain their separate existence, but that the possibility of a move of the institutes from the public to the private sector merited further consideration.
In the light of this further consideration, the Government have concluded that these establishments should remain in the public sector and should each retain their separate existence. The same conclusions apply to the two animal science institutes—the Hannah Research Institute and the Moredun Research Institute—which were included in the second tranche of prior options reviews, completed at the end of July 1996; and to the Rowett Research Institute, the review of which was completed in December 1996.
The Scottish Office has been developing with the institutes measures designed to improve the value for money obtained from our funding of these establishments, and we will examine the scope for improving their efficiency and effectiveness still further. In particular, we will develop further the institutes' mechanisms for corporate planning and target setting. Details will be published in due course.
My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has made a statement today on the broad outcome of the programme of prior options reviews of public sector research establishments which refers to the general policy on the timing of prior options reviews.