I have read theNature magazine article to which the Deputy refers and I do not agree with its thrust. The article was written without any prior consultation with the Office of Science and Technology in my Department and it wrongly attributes certain remarks to Ministers. Let me put the record straight.
According to the Eolas S & T Annual Audit, State funding for science and technology in its broadest sense rose from £396 million in 1988 to £454 million in 1990 to an estimated £556 million in 1992. The bulk of this is in the area of education, where in 1993 funding by the Department of Education for third level and further education rose from £283 million to £299 million.
As regards funding provided by my Department specifically for S & T, the two main sources in my Department's Vote are the Eolas grant-in-aid and the S & T development programme. The Eolas grant-in-aid overall went from £9,282,000 in 1992 to £11,436,000 in 1993 while the S & T development programme was cut from £27,843,000 to £20,465,000. However, when a non-voted sum of £23,416,000 for the industry R & D initiative is added, then the budget for S & T rose from £27,843,000 to £43,871,000.
I am also informed by Eolas that the amount provided in their grant-in-aid for basic science in 1993 is actually up on the 1992 figure.