Vol. 434 No. 2
36 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the effects on the level and quality of science research in universities of the major reduction of funding from her Department for this purpose and the comments in the Nature magazine of August 1993 on this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I have read the article in Nature magazine which the Deputy refers to and it deals mainly with an alleged reduction in funding by Eolas and not my Department. I have been advised by the Department of Enterprise and Employment that there has been no reduction in the funding made available by Eolas to the universities.
At present Department of Education funding for research in universities is not distinguished from funding provided for teaching and in effect is linked to the number of students in the particular institution. There was no reduction in my Department's funding allocation to the Higher Education Authority for the universities this year.
Targeted funding for research projects is made through Eolas, through the Office of Science and Technology of the Department of Enterprise and Employment.
The provision of resources for research and development is being addressed by the Government in the context of the National Plan which is to be announced shortly. As the Deputy will be aware a substantial programme of investment in research and development is nearing completion under the current National Development Plan. This included the provision of major improvements in research and development facilities at Dublin City University, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, University College, Cork, University College, Dublin, University College Galway, University of Limerick and Trinity College, Dublin.
There have been a number of significant developments in this context also in the Dublin Institute of Technology and a number of Regional Technical Colleges, e.g. Waterford, Tallaght and Cork. Examples of projects included in the programme are the food science, aquaculture and microelectronics facilities in University College Cork, the Science and Technology Centre in Maynooth, and the science and technology facilities in Dublin City University.
There is time for one brief supplementary question.
I know the Minister read the article but does she not accept that the heading "Irish Government turns its back on Science" is a damning indictment of the level of commitment to basic science in university? Is there not a lack of balance when one considers that from the EC alone 53 companies — one of which was C & D petfoods in Longford — got £500,000 each for research and development, more than the entire university sector got for the funding of the basic sciences in UCC, UCD, UCG, Trinity College, University of Limerick and so on. Is that fair and equitable?
I do not believe that an inaccurate headline can be a damning indictment of the system. Let me repeat that I have been advised by the Department of Enterprise and Employment that there has been no reduction in the overall funding for research.
That concludes the time for questions today.
