Vol. 442 No. 2
28 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the total amount spent on research on earth sciences in Ireland according to the most recent data available; and the way in which this sum compares with expenditure in each of the other OECD countries.
The two main sources of statistics in this area are the OECD and the European Commission. Figures for the former are shown in national currencies while the latter are denominated in MECUs which facilitates comparison. I propose to circulate the EU table in the Official Report.
There can be variations between OECD-EU and other tables due to different classification systems and Irish figures will always seem small by international comparison because of our small size. However, the fact of the matter is that even when expressed as a percentage of GDP, Ireland historically has been near the bottom of the EU league table. This is something which successive Governments have been aware of and have sought to address. As a percentage of GDP Ireland's gross expenditure was 1.1 in 1992, estimated, as against an EU average of 1.89 but it has shown a modest rise in recent years from 0.87 in 1987 to 1.1 in 1992.
The Government recognises the importance of science and technology as a key underpinning for growth, competitiveness and national economic development. As the House is aware, I recently announced the launch of the Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council to carry out a fundamental review of this area and to report by the end of the year.
Government R & D Expenditure — 1992
Expenditure in ECU 000's
|
Country |
Explor/exploit of the earth. |
Control of Environ Pollution |
Total for both categories |
|
Belgium |
14,261 |
19,712 |
33,973 |
|
Denmark |
14,722 |
33,242 |
47,964 |
|
Germany |
425,927 |
546,511 |
972,438 |
|
Greece |
6,987 |
3,453 |
10,440 |
|
Spain |
93,263 |
45,784 |
139,047 |
|
France |
243,341 |
100,622 |
343,963 |
|
Ireland |
588 |
1,329 |
1,917 |
|
Italy |
98,811 |
160,953 |
259,764 |
|
Netherlands |
15,133 |
87,362 |
102,495 |
|
Portugal |
24,138 |
8,244 |
32,382 |
|
United Kingdom |
189,299 |
128,122 |
317,421 |
|
Total: 12 Members |
1,126,471 |
1,208,925 |
2,335,396 |
|
EU Commission |
51,646 |
88,335 |
139,981 |
