§ Dr. KumarTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of reductions in the level of support for biochemical engineering research and training in the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council budget; [24071]
(2) what assessment she has made of the level of Government support required in respect of biochemical engineering research and training over the next five years. [24069]
§ Mr. BattleGovernment support for biochemical engineering research and training is primarily the responsibility of the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Councils (BBSRC). In accordance with its Royal Charter and the well-established relationship between the Research Council and Government, it is for the BBSRC to determine the nature and level of its support for areas of research and training, drawing on the advice of its research and user communities.
I understand that the BBSRC has recently commissioned a review of all its biochemical engineering research and training chaired by Professor Bernard Atkinson, which is due to report in the early summer of 1998.