28. Mr. Alan W. WilliamsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to improve the infrastructure and equipment for research at Britain's universities. [49400]
§ Mr. BattleEarlier this week, on 13 July 1998,Official Report, columns 47–48, my right hon. Friend announced the establishment of a £600 million capital fund for building new and refurbishing existing university laboratories, equipment and other essential infrastructure, 283W funded equally by the Government and the Wellcome Trust. £400 million has also been provided over the next three years for the Research Councils to meet the current and capital costs of new project funds in priority areas. Additional funding for research of £300 million over the next three years has been announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, and a further £100 million by the Wellcome Trust towards the cost of a high intensity x-ray source for use mainly by university researchers.
The size of this package for research, which amounts in total to £1.4 billion over the life of this Parliament, will ensure that our universities have the facilities they require to remain at the forefront of research into the next millennium.