The Government's response to the Science and Technology Committee's first report, Session 1997-98 : The implications of the Dearing Report for the structure and funding of university research third special report / Science and Technology Committee.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Date:
1998
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: The Government's response to the Science and Technology Committee's first report, Session 1997-98 : The implications of the Dearing Report for the structure and funding of university research third special report / Science and Technology Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/12 (page 9)
    ——— te into issues of concern to industry; responses to Government publications, including consultation documents and White Papers; and working parties with industry membership such as Foresight panels and groups. JOINT INFORMATION SYSTEMS COMMITTEE 39. The Government, like the Committee has endorsed the Dearing Report’s recommendation that the Joint Information Systems Committee should permanently fund and manage electronic communications and information services for researchers (gg). It welcomes plans by the Funding Councils to introduce charging for transatlantic networking from 1998/99 in order to ensure that effective use is made of expensive network resources. | 40. The Government recognises the importance of improved international access to the research community (hh) and similarly welcomes this initiative, the resource implications of which are being considered in the current Comprehensive Spending Review. COUNCIL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 41. The Government welcomes the Committee’s endorsement of the re-establishment of the Council for Science and Technology under new, clearer and more comprehensive terms of reference, and with an increased number of independent members (ii). 42. The Government agrees with the Committee that the Council’s enhanced role, extended membership and advice should be disseminated widely so that its work carries the confidence of the wider research community. Accordingly, it has invited the new Council to address this recommendation at its inaugural meeting on 10 June 1998. The Council will also be subject to the new framework which the Government is planning to establish for advisory Non Departmental Public Bodies to deal with such important matters as accountability, appointments and freedom of information. 43. As stated previously”, the Government fully shares the Committee’s view in being unconvinced of the need for an advisory body on national research policies for the public funding of all areas of research in higher education, as envisaged in the Dearing Report (jj and kk). The new remit of the Council for Science & Technology makes explicit that the Government will look to the Council for advice on the overall impact of the funding arrangements for publicly supported Science & Technology including those for research in higher education institutions. In this area, apart from the Council for Science & Technology, the Science and Engineering Base Co-ordinating Committee (SEBCC), works to ensure that all public funding streams to the universities mutually reinforce each other. The work of this committee and its relationship with the Council for Science and Technology will be kept under review over the next year. 1. Higher Education in Learning Society, July 1997. 2. Higher Education in the 21st Century: Response to the Dearing Report, 25 February 1998. 3. The impact of the 1992 RAE on institutional and individual behaviour in English Higher Education: Professor Ian McNay, HEFCE MS5/97, para 5.19 - 5.20.