HC Deb 18 May 2000 vol 350 cc193-4W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the terms of reference for the review of the funding and research council. [122138]

Ms Hewitt

I have been asked to reply.

Overall responsibility for funding university infrastructure in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is with the devolved Administrations. For England, the responsibility is with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

In addition, my Department, together with the Wellcome Trust and the HEFCE, is responsible for the £750 million Joint Infrastructure Fund initiative, which provides for research infrastructure and equipment in UK universities. My Department is also responsible, together with the Higher Education Funding Councils and the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, for the Joint Research Equipment Initiative for university research equipment.

Competition for funds from the JIF has been very strong. There have been many high quality applications and we have been able to fund only the most outstanding. Under the terms of the JIF scheme there can be no re-submission of unsuccessful applications.

JIF was set up as a one-off fund to boost university infrastructure. The Government are giving careful consideration to the need for a follow-on programme. This includes exploration of options other than allocation based on competition through bidding.

The 1997 Dearing Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education drew attention to the need to invest in university research infrastructure in order to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of scientific research. Dearing's recommendations were based on the 1996 "Survey of Research Equipment in UK Universities" undertaken by the Policy Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Unit at the University of Manchester (PREST). Dearing also drew on Segal Quince and Wicksteed's 1997 "Review of Dual Support: The Funding Gap" study of overall research funding in universities.

I understand that the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom expects to publish shortly an updated study by PREST, part funded by CVCP and HEFCE, of the present state of research equipment provision and needs in UK universities.