Volume 1

The impact of spending cuts on science and scientific research : sixth report of session 2009-10.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Date:
2010
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: The impact of spending cuts on science and scientific research : sixth report of session 2009-10. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/48 (page 6)
    These savings will amount to 4 to 5% of the total Government spend on higher education and science and research”.® 5. Despite this official estimate of between 4 and 5%, Lord Drayson told us that: we have to be very clear that the £600 million that has been looked at as an efficiency saving is off a figure which has not been determined yet, and so, therefore, my lack of comfort is due to the fact that I am arguing very strongly for the figure for the overall future research budget [...] You cannot calculate a percentage because you do not know what the CSR numbers are yet. The argument is still to be made and won.’ It was not at all clear from the PBR how the figure of £600 million was reached. During an evidence session held by the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee on 19 January 2010, the Secretary of State for BIS (the Rt Hon Lord Mandelson) was asked how the figure of £600 million was reached. His cryptic reply was “That is not quite how I would characterise discussions with the Treasury”.* The announcement of a £600 million cut across higher education and science budgets was most unwelcome. Not only does it appear to be an entirely arbitrary figure imposed by Treasury diktat, but it undermines the Government’s previously good record on valuing science and higher education. 6. Taken together, this information caused us great concern, and in light of the messages we had been receiving from academia since the autumn about concerns over funding beyond the current Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) period, we announced our inquiry on 13 January 2010. We received memoranda from 89 individuals and organisations, and took oral evidence: a) on 3 February from Lord Broers, Professor Brian Cox, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Nick Dusic, Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering, Sir Peter Williams, Vice-President, The Royal Society, Iain Gray, Chief Executive, Technology Strategy Board, Dr Tony Peatfield, Director of Corporate Affairs, Medical Research Council, Professor Michael Sterling, Chair, Science and Technology Facilities Council, and Professor Alan Thorpe, Chair, Research Councils aK b) (b) on 10 February from Professor Michael Arthur, Chair, The Russell Group, Professor Janet Beer, Chair, University Alliance, Professor Les Ebdon, Chair, million+, Professor Paul Wellings, Chair, The 1994 Group, Dr Alastair Hunter, President, University and College Union, Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Professor Adrian Smith, Director General, Science and Research, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Professor Steve Smith, President, Universities UK; and c) (a) on 24 February from the Rt Hon Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, and the Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. 6 Ev 5/7, para 4; it should be noted that cuts are not expected to take place before 2011-12. j 7 Q288 8 Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Uncorrected transcript of oral evidence, 19 January 2010, HC 299-i, Q 108