Science Budget (Hansard, 9 December 2002)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville)

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has today announced the allocations of the Science Budget for the period10WA 2003–04 to 2005–06, following the announcement in July this year by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the outcome of the spending review. The spending review reaffirmed this Government's commitment to a healthy and vibrant science and engineering base at the heart of the life of the nation. The Science Budget, already growing at an average of about 7 per cent in real terms year on year, will now accelerate to a growth rate of 10 per cent real terms year on year.

Details of the allocations are set out in a document I am publishing today, Science Budget: 2003–04 to 2005–06. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and are also available on the website of the Office of Science and Technology at www.ost.gov.uk/.

The allocations which I am announcing today focus on the new resources which are being made available to the research councils and other funded bodies for the pursuit of science, engineering and technology research. As a result of these allocations, the research councils will receive significant new funding to increase the volume of top-quality research. I have also allocated funding to enable the councils to take forward specific new projects in the following key areas of research: stem cells—£40 million over two years; sustainable energy economy—£28 million over two years, and rural economy and land use—£20 million over two years.

In addition to this, I have provided the councils with contributions to enable them to fund programmes in other key areas such as brain science, animal infectious diseases and gravity waves and planetary exploration.

The councils will also continue the cross-council programmes in genomics, e-science and basic technology begun following the previous spending review. The genomics programme is being expanded to include research into the important area of proteomics. The basic technology programme will also be expanded in response to the very high level of demand generated in the first year.

The research councils will receive funds to allow them to implement some of the recommendations of SET for Success, the review of science, engineering and technology skills carried out by Sir Gareth Roberts. These are: an increase in the minimum research council PhD stipend to £12,000 by 2005–06; and the provision of better training in transferable skills for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers supported by research councils.

The implementation of other aspects of the Roberts review recommendations which were funded in the spending review will be announced next year.

The Science Budget settlement included funding for the top-priority large facilities projects identified on the large facilities road map, including the Diamond synchrotron. Funding for these projects will be released as each one reaches the necessary state of preparation.

I am allocating limited capital funding to those councils which operate institutes, centres and surveys of their own to enable them to address the most serious capital investments backlogs as soon as possible. 11WA I have also indicated that I will allocate further funds for this purpose in due course on receipt of robust business plans which indicate how the funding of institutes will be put on to a long-term sustainable footing.

A key feature of the allocations booklet which I have referred to above is the inclusion of a suite of objectives for the management of the Science Budget. These objectives support my department's public service agreement target for science, exploitation and innovation; namely; to improve the relative international performance of the UK's science and engineering base, the exploitation of science and the overall innovation performance of the UK.

I am grateful to the Director General of Research Councils for his advice on these allocations and to the members of the RCUK Strategy Group for their part in the successful outcome of the allocations process.

The Government's commitment to science is unwavering. We believe that excellent science delivers the advances we will need as a nation if we are to improve productivity, improve the quality of life and so deliver greater prosperity for all.