September 1998

Westminster Report, IEE Review

Although Parliament is now in Recess, the tail end of the last session heralded some important developments, notably the replacement of Margaret Beckett by Rt. Hon Peter Mandelson as Trade and Industry Secretary. I am personally pleased that he will still retain responsibility for the Millennium Dome at Greenwich as it gives me an opportunity to question him when he comes before the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee of which I am a member! The other major development was the publication of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The Review, announced by the Chancellor in July (which set out future Government expenditure plans), pledged to invest "to strengthen the UK's economically vital science base and helping UK excellence in science and technology to flow through into jobs, investment and improved quality of life". The Review noted that by the end of the Parliament, the science and engineering base would maintain its quality, relevance and cost effectiveness as measured by agreed national standards. These warm words were backed by a promise of major new investment to modernize and enhance the science and engineering base as "the bedrock of our economic success"

In the Commons, Margaret Beckett (before her reshuffle) fleshed out the (CSR) details and announced a DTI public private partnership with the Wellcome Trust. Wellcome had agreed to contribute £400 million as part of the £1.1 billion that the Government had set aside for investment in science. She added that the Department for Education and Employment would also be investing in new resources in university research.

In a further recognition of the importance of science to the economy, Mrs Beckett said that the DTI would also increase the rate at which scientific knowledge was turned into job and wealth creating business successes in three ways: the commercial spin of university research, aided by £50 million from the University Challenge scheme; through similar efforts in Government research establishments; and collaboration between science and industry. Whilst the money is welcome, it should be noted that the last Conservative Government increased funding to the Science Budget by more than 30% in real terms after inflation (between 1979-1997), despite the claims of Mrs Beckett in her statement that the previous administration had allowed science funding to decline.

Science Minister John Battle (who retains his responsibilities, following the July reshuffle), confirmed that the Trade and Industry Secretary would make decisions regarding the allocation of Science Budget, in the usual way, being advised by the Director General of Research Councils. He added that decisions on the Research Council's programmes would be announced in the Autumn. Mr Battle stated that the Councils and other funded bodies would then take decisions on the basis of the quality of the proposal and its relevance to sustainable growth and quality of life. The arrangements for the £600 million Joint Infrastructure Fund with the Wellcome Trust would involve the peer review of proposals, as agreed between the Director General of Research Councils and the Wellcome Trust. At present, it was not possible to specify in advance which research proposals at which universities would get funding.

There was some concern in the Commons that the Wellcome Trust funds would be independently referred. Mr Battle stressed that independence had been built into the proposal and there were no strings attached. The Director General of Research Councils and the Director of Wellcome Trust would oversee the new arrangements. In the main however, MPs welcomed the announcement. Another Scientist, Dr Ian Gibson MP, best summed up the feeling of the whole House, when he stated that the public private partnership sent out a strong signal not only to Wellcome, but also to many other organisations that may follow Wellcome's example

The DTI also published the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) indicators. The Indicators are quite useful as they provide a record of government and private sector financing of SET and R&D activities in the UK. The Government uses the indicators as a means of information to help plan for its future strategy for science and technology concerning the CSR. The statistics include estimates for some Government expenditure figures, plus details of current SET spending by each Government department

Meanwhile, Dr Phyllis Starkey, a Labour Backbencher and former Research Scientist, initiated a Commons Adjournment Debate on women in science and engineering. Dr Starkey argued that the under-representation of women was of great concern. She noted that in 1993 only 14% of female students were studying engineering.

She acknowledged that the last Government had set in train initiatives to try and encourage more women into science and the present Government had extended this upon. She urged that the Research Councils should be asked to monitor their own assessment procedures internally, to ensue that British peer review panels, do not discriminate in favour of men. The Government should monitor all their science spending for equal opportunities, not merely the money within the Office of Science and Technology Budget.

Responding, John Battle agreed that women were significantly under-represented in every area of science and that more practical action was needed to ensure participation. He noted that the Development Unit within the DTI worked to try and get more women into science. He added that the DTI would study whether there were underlying gender differences in the proportion of potentially qualified candidates who apply for grants and fellowships. Mr Battle added that the WISE outlook programme, which offered young girls practical experience of engineering would receive £35,000 during 1998/9. In a Commons Written Answer, the Government confirmed that there were 638,609 employed in engineering professional and technical occupations of which just 29,000 were women.

Thus far the Government has argued that their new investment will put the UK at the forefront of the next generation of Scientific research. Meanwhile, problems remain concerning skill shortages and the high pound. Conservative MP Sir David Madel noted the pleas of the Engineering Employers Federation to "urge the Monetary Policy Committee as soon as possible to signal that interest rates have peaked and that the next move will be downwards" . The engineering unions continue to warn of the dangers of recession and have urged the Bank of England to invite Trade and Industry Ministers to sit in on Monetary Policy Committee meetings. What better way could the new Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Mandelson demonstrate his commitment to the industry!