Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Willetts and Stephen Timms

Thursday 15th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Timms (East Ham) (Lab)]

9. What recent assessment he has made of the UK’s science base.

[The Minister for Universities and Science (Mr David Willetts)]

Britain’s research base is the most productive among the G8, and the Government are committed to maintaining that world-leading position. That is why funding for science and research programmes has been protected with a flat-cash, ring-fenced settlement of £4.6 billion. On top of the £1.9 billion capital funding announced as part of the spending review, we have since announced a further £495 million of capital investment in science.

[Stephen Timms]

It is national science and engineering week, and the Minister and I are both taking part in a mathematics event today. Does he agree with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, however, in the letter to the Prime Minister that was reported last week, that the Government’s science policy is “piecemeal” and:

“The Technology Strategy Board…is operating on a shrinking core budget and thereby missing valuable opportunities”?

Do we not need a long-term strategy, such as the one that was set out in 2004?

[Mr Willetts]

The Technology Strategy Board does an excellent job and has a crucial role, and if the right hon. Gentleman looks at the board’s core funding, together with the funding that is available for its new technology and innovation centres, he will see that its funding has increased.