Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour). It was answered by Baroness Wilcox (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 December 2010.

Public Expenditure: Investment in Science

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of government investment in science will be protected from cuts in public expenditure; and what advice they are giving to research institutions that are affected by any cuts.

Answer: My Lords, within BIS, a substantial amount of funding for science and research programmes—£4.6 billion per annum—has been protected within a ring-fence for the four years of the spending review. Separately, the spending review stated that the Department of Health will increase spending on health research in real terms, and we expect the Ministry of Defence research budget to increase in cash terms over the spending period. It is too early to tell what the implications of the spending review will mean for science spending in other departments. On the part of the Question that deals with advice, the way in which independent institutions make decisions about increases or decreases in their level of research funding is a matter for those institutions.

Secondary information