Science Budget (Hansard, 27 October 1998)

§ Mr. Mandelson

As a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Science Budget was increased by £700 million over the next three years. This is solid evidence that science is a major priority for the Government. Of these additional funds, £300 million is the Science Budget contribution to a ground breaking £600 million partnership with the Wellcome Trust to upgrade university research laboratories and equipment. I am most grateful to the Trustees of the Trust for their contribution, and also their further contribution of £110 million towards the cost of a new high intensity X-ray source. Over the period of these allocations, £35 million of the Science Budget has been reserved for this DIAMOND project. A further £20 million of the additional money for the Science Budget is earmarked for the Science Budget's contribution to "University Challenge", a joint project to provide seed corn funding to enable universities to exploit ideas emerging from their research.

After receiving advice from action from the Director General of Research Councils, I have decided that the Science Budget should be allocated as follows:

137W

£million
	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
PPARC¹	194.220	196.306	200.687	204.228
International/Contingency	3.028	(9.185)	15.000	15.000
CCLRC	1.462	2.000	2.000	2.000
Royal Society	22.621	23.850	24.622	25.745
Royal Academy of Engineering	3.436	3.706	4.025	4.270
OST Initiatives	2.376	2.750	2.800	2.850
Superannuation Supplement	12.298	11.991	14.368	14.750
Foresight LINK Awards	1.000	1.000	3.000	4.000
University Challenge	—	10.000	10.000	—
DIAMOND	—	—	15.000	20.000
Joint Research Equipment Initiative	4.147	7.000	10.000	10.000
Joint Infrastructure Fund	—	75.000	100.000	125.000
Total	1,338.326	1,473.123	1,587.450	1,657.637
¹ NERC and PPARC figures for 1998–99 have been adjusted for cash flow changes to show the underlying baseline Further details are available in a booklet on the allocations, which I have placed in the Library of both Houses