§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how much of the proposed £1.1 billion extra spending on science and engineering research will be spent in the North West; [51040]
(2) where the extra funding recently announced for science and engineering research will be spent in the North West. [51039]
§ Mr. Battle[holding answer 17 July 1998]My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will make decisions on the allocation of the Science Budget in the usual way, being advised by the Director General of Research Councils (DGRC). Decisions on the Research Council's programmes will be announced in the Autumn. The Research Councils and other funded bodies will then take decisions on the basis of the quality of the proposal and its relevance to sustainable growth and quality of life. The arrangements for the £600 million joint Infrastructure Fund with the Wellcome Trust will involve the peer review of proposals, as agreed between the DGRC and the Director of the Wellcome Trust. It is not possible to specify in advance which research proposals at which universities/institutes will get funding.