July 2002

Westminster Report, IEE Review

It has been a busy time in the House of Commons in recent weeks. And Parliamentarians have continued to emphasise the importance of science and engineering.

One particular - and perennial - concern has been about skills and education. In a debate in Westminster Hall (an adjunct to the Commons that allows MPs to raise important issues) on Women and IT, Competition Minister in the Cabinet Office, Douglas Alexander, noted that the IT, Electronics and Communications industries would need more than 1 million extra people to fill jobs between 1999 and 2010. He feels that in order to do this, it is vital to address the under representation of women in these industries. For example, women comprise only 15% of engineering graduates. The Minister stressed that the Government is providing core funding to WISE - Women in Science and Engineering, in partnership with a number of engineering bodies. The DTI and DFES are also working with scientific and engineering ‘ambassadors’ from industries to act as role models and mentors in schools across the country.

Caroline Spelman, Conservative Shadow Cabinet Minister for Women, acknowledging that many of these initiatives are worthy, questioned whether women and IT are a clearly definable subject or “a rather spurious combination that overlays more deep seated problems of underskilling, underachievement and underperformance in school”. Conservative MP Ian Taylor, who is a former Minister for Science, underlined this point. Mr Taylor said that he is more concerned by the problem that is felt throughout the UK of a lack of skills in research and development. That includes technology and, therefore IT. He suggested that a better way forward would be to concentrate on initiatives to keep women in industry, research and the professions. It is also important to ensure that taxation and regulatory policies do not prevent people from taking advantage of this. I agree - taxes like IR35 act as a disincentive to flexible employment and discourage initiative. Besides, they are self-defeating. The revenue from IR35 has fallen as IT specialists have gone - or are invoicing from - abroad.

In a separate Commons debate on energy efficiency, Robert Key the Conservative Shadow Minister for DTI also expressed his concern about attitudes to science and engineering. He argued that from primary school onwards, we are subject to a damaging anti-science popular culture. This means that we do not have the engineers that we need for the future and - if we are not careful - will not have the scientists to work in any sophisticated energy field. In his view, Britain is desperately short of engineers - the very people needed to find the way forward in energy over the next fifty years.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour MP Dr Phyllis Starkey bravely rammed this point home to the Prime Minister. She noted that in a recent survey of 16-year-old school leavers neither scientists nor engineers figured in the top ten career choices of girls. Acknowledging that young people do not see science as a good career, Tony Blair said that one of the best things we could do to encourage interest in science is to show students what is happening in science today - in particular the extraordinary spin offs between scientific endeavour and the commercial world. This is to be applauded. Though when I have tackled the PM on the rôle of engineering, he - like so many others - confuses pure science with the engineering profession. This was particularly evident when I tried to persuade the Prime Minister a short while back to recruit an engineer as a scientific and engineering adviser.

As well as skills and training, MPs are clearly concerned about renewable energy. In the Chamber, Labour MP Gareth Thomas initiated a highly informed Adjournment debate. He pointed out that in 2001, just 2.2% of all electricity generated came from renewables - up from 1.9% in 1997, but down from 2.5% in 2000. He added that despite having far and away the best potential for wind power in Europe, just 0.38% of electricity is produced from wind in this country. He argued that funding and planning issues remain key barriers to development of renewable energy sources.

Responding, Trade and Industry Minister Melanie Johnson MP confirmed that the Government have set a target of 10% for energy sales that will come from renewable sources by 2010. The DTI are now discussing with the Treasury how funding for renewables should be reflected in future allocations. However, the budget had been substantially increased, including an extra £10 million for blue skies research granted in 2001. She noted that the renewables are exempt from the climate change levy and anticipated a total market value for renewable energy of somewhere between £1.5 billion and £2 billion a year by 2010. This is a significant step for renewables as well as a massive opportunity for British industry and research.

Ms Johnson said that whilst planning is a hurdle for many projects, regional resources estimate that the 10% target is achievable. The key is to gain public support and have developers play a major role in ensuring that public fears are allayed.

Although renewables are exempt from the climate change levy, the tax is wreaking a devastating effect on the rest of the engineering industry. As Hugh Robertson MP pointed out during Treasury Questions, the Engineering Employers Federation has said that the climate change levy impedes manufacturing initiative and enterprise. It has imposed an almost intolerable burden on the manufacturing industry.

Meanwhile, as a staunch supporter of ties with the United States, I was delighted to hear that mandarins in Whitehall are busy promoting the UK and US special relationship in science and technology. The DTI announced that £5 million would be made available to help UK scientists promote link-ups with the science base in Texas to collaborate on biotechnology and medical research. This initiative will involve a number of Texan institutions collaborating with leading edge scientists in the UK. This is eminently sensible and I hope that there is more collaboration in science and engineering projects with the United States - a country where enterprise is king and which leads the world in scientific innovation.