Ned O'Keeffe
Ceist:14 Mr. E. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Enterprise and Employment the reason for the delay in bringing forward a White Paper on Science Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19153/96]
Written Answers. - White Paper on Science Policy.
The White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation — the first ever White Paper on this subject in the history of the State — will be published within the next two weeks.
The White Paper will represent the culmination of debate and discussion on a policy area which is of increasing significance to our national economic and social development.
That debate can trace its origins back to National Economic and Social Council Reports in 1992 and 1993, on innovation and competitiveness. The Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (STIAC) brought the debate into a more science and technology-focused consideration of the issues in the course of 1994. The STIAC report entitled "Making Knowledge Work for Us", which was published in March 1995, was the first totally indigenous — and most comprehensive ever — review of science and technology policy in Ireland. The report dealt with science and technology policies and programmes in the context of a "national system of innovation"— that is the collection of institutions and mechanisms, and their inter-relationship, which stimulate and support innovation in the national economy. The key conclusions of the STIAC report were that:
— there is a low level of research and development in Ireland, particularly among the indigenous business sector;
— there is a need for sufficient resources for those involved in "knowledge generation", such as third level colleges, to fuel the innovation capacity of the economy;
— there is a need for a more coherent strategy for State investment in science and technology and for prioritisation of research activities;
— there is a need to increase the level of public understanding of science and technology in the innovation process.
Within three months of the publication of the report, the Government decided to accept the basic precept that a strong national system of innovation, based on the creative application of science and technology, is a key element in achieving sustained industrial, social and economic development, and the creation of high added-value exports and skilled employment. The Government established a Cabinet committee, which I chaired, and also an interdepartmental task force to prioritise and examine how best to bring forward the STIAC recommendations for implementation. The task force and Cabinet committee concluded its work in December 1995 and made a presentation of its findings to the Cabinet.
Since then I have been engaged in a process of discussion of the major issues arising with relevant interested bodies. I have also engaged in a more fundamental examination of the philosophical rationale behind science and technology policy, and its contribution to national development. My concern has been to encapsulate in a coherent fashion, all the factors which contribute to the capacity for scientific and technological innovation in the country. The White Paper, therefore, will not only include the Government's response to the STIAC recommendations, it will define the full agenda of actions to be pursued and the strategy to be implied over the long-term, if we are to be successful in this critically important aspect of national development.