§ Dr. IddonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors explain the difference between the figure of £131 million stated in Press Release 133/03 from her Department to be the spending on research and development by her Department during financial year 2002–03 and the figure of £174 million presented in the publication Forward Look (Cm 5877). [133942]
§ Mr. BradshawThe figure of £131 million stated in Press Release 133/03 correctly reflects the Department's baseline for R&D expenditure in 2002–03. This is funding that the Department spends directly on R&D services to support its policies. The R&D figure provided in the Government's Forward Look of Science, Engineering and Technology includes the DEFRA R&D baseline of £131 million, but also incorporates indirect expenditure by DEFRA Agencies and NDPBs (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; English Nature; Environment Agency; and Countryside Agency) leading to the higher overall figure for DEFRA.