§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Government is doing to encourage research and development in the North East. [130733]
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§ Yvette CooperThe Government are committed to encouraging investment in research and development throughout the United Kingdom. Last year, the Government allocated the largest sustained increase in the Science Budget for more than a decade; total science spending by 2005–06 will be £1¼ billion higher than in 2002–03.
To encourage commercial investment in Research and Development, the Government have a range of policies including the new Grant for Research and Development, Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and Research and Development tax credits to encourage companies in the North East to invest in new technologies.
Research funding for the region's five universities was £19.7 million in 2000–01 which represents 0.7 per cent. of the region's GDP.
The Government also fund ONE North East, the regional development agency. They have put in place a "Strategy for Success" which, with the support of the regional Science and Industry Council will be investing very significant amounts of Government and European funding in to the Research and Development of key emerging technologies via newly established centres of excellence. ONE North East is investing £60 million in supporting regional science, engineering and technology, some £23 per head of population, above the national average of around £5 per head.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Government has spent on research and development in(a) the North East, (b) each of the other regions and (c) the UK in each year since 1997. [130734]
§ Jacqui SmithI have been asked to reply.
Government research and development spending—both within higher education institutes and outside of higher education institutes—is tracked regionally through the ONS regional trend series. The most recent figures available—for 2001—are provided in Tables 1 and 2 as follows, together with figures for the years 1997–2000 inclusive.
Table 1:
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Estimated GOR breakdown of expenditure on Intramural R&D performed within Government Establishments (GOVERD), 1997–2001 £ million 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 United Kingdom 2,018 2,079 2,072 2,134 1,829 North East 3 3 2 2 4 North West and Merseyside 56 59 56 57 66 Yorkshire and the Humber 30 31 46 48 50 East Midlands 53 51 56 56 68 West Midlands 195 182 190 196 65 Eastern 276 257 246 259 277 London 184 202 229 258 238 South East 753 700 644 635 515 South West 259 330 299 307 254 England 1,810 1,815 1,767 1,816 1,537 Wales 20 51 60 65 49 Scotland 175 201 231 238 226 Northern Ireland 12 12 14 15 16 Table 2:
Estimated GOR breakdown of expenditure on Intramural R&D performed within Higher Education Institutions (HERD), 1997–2001 £ million 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 United Kingdom 2,891 3,040 3,341 3,633 4,035 North East 101 105 113 122 142 North West and Merseyside 228 238 260 287 322 Yorkshire and the Humber 229 241 270 284 317 East Midlands 151 159 182 204 224 West Midlands 156 167 180 192 207 Eastern 214 211 255 324 366 London 729 775 837 895 980 South East 434 460 493 515 562 South West 129 138 148 160 178 England 2,372 2,494 2,737 2,984 3,297 Wales 111 113 129 139 155 Scotland 357 375 411 440 510 Northern Ireland 52 57 64 70 73