Mr Major’s Written Parliamentary Answer on Science and Technology – 10 November 1988

Below is the text of Mr Major’s written Parliamentary Answer on Science and Technology on 10th November 1988.

Dr. Bray To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the difference between the increase he announced in the autumn statement of £120 million in the provision for spending by the Department of Education and Science on science and technology in 1989-90, and the increase of £95 million announced by the Secretary of State for Education and Science in his science budget, is due to the effect of higher prices on the notional allocation to research and development of University Grants Committee expenditure.

Mr. Major [holding answer 9 November 1988]: The difference of £25 million between the two figures includes £13 million of the additional funding provided for universities in 1989-90, and spending of £12 million by the Institute of Plant Science Research following the privatisation of part of the Plant Breeding Institute. It will be for the Universities Funding Council to determine the distribution of funds to the universities, and for the universities to use the cash they receive as effectively as possible. Overall, the total cash available to the Universities Funding Council for recurrent spending in 1989-90 will be £1,672 million, more than 5 per cent. higher than the corresponding figure for 1988-89.