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NORTHERN IRELAND
Robert Hamill and Gregory Girvan
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if disciplinary proceedings will be instituted against officers present at the location of the attack on 27 April 1997 in Portadown town centre on Robert Hamill and Gregory Girvan. [119709]
Mr. Ingram: The Independent Commission for Police Complaints are actively considering whether disciplinary proceedings will be instigated in this particular case.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many witness statements have been taken by the Royal Ulster Constabulary inquiry team investigating the murder of Robert Hamill. [119710]
Mr. Ingram: There have been 301 witness statements taken to date.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
University Funding and Infrastructure
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the universities awarded funding for research infrastructure as part of the Joint Infrastructure Fund Competition, indicating how much funding each will receive. [121665]
Ms Hewitt: The Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) has made 109 awards worth just under £600 million to 39 universities. The final two rounds of awards will be announced in November 2000 and March 2001.
The successful universities are listed. The value of Round 2 and Round 3 awards are subject to negotiation with successful applicants and will be announced later this year. Round 1 figures are shown in the table.
| Universities awarded funding(3) | Value of Round 1 awards |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen | -- |
| Bangor (University of Wales) | 2.8 |
| Bath | -- |
| Birkbeck College | -- |
| Birmingham | 11.1 |
| Bristol | 2.0 |
| Cambridge | 30.4 |
| Cardiff | -- |
| Dundee | -- |
| Durham | -- |
| East Anglia | -- |
| Edinburgh | 6.3 |
| Glasgow | 2.1 |
| Imperial College | 11.3 |
| King's College, London | -- |
| Lancaster | 0.6 |
| Leeds | 2.4 |
| Leicester | -- |
| Liverpool | 6.1 |
| LSE | 6.6 |
| Manchester | 1.8 |
| Newcastle | 4.4 |
| Nottingham | 5.0 |
| Oxford | 17.9 |
| Queen Mary and Westfield College | 24.8 |
| Queen's, Belfast | 0.4 |
| Reading | -- |
| Sheffield | -- |
| Southampton | 3.8 |
| Strathclyde | 1.2 |
| SUERC (Glasgow) | 3.9 |
| Surrey | 4.7 |
| Sussex | -- |
| Ulster | -- |
| UMIST | -- |
| University College, London | -- |
| Wales College of Medicine | -- |
| Warwick | 1.0 |
| York | -- |
| Total (Round 1 only) | 150.4 |
(3) JIF Rounds 1-3
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) which organisations are responsible for funding infrastructure requirements in universities; [122139]
- (2) what models are being considered for the replacement of the Joint Infrastructure Fund. [122137]
Ms Hewitt: Overall responsibility for funding university infrastructure in Scotland, Wales and Northern
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Ireland is with the devolved administrations. For England, the responsibility is with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
In addition, my Department, together with the Wellcome Trust and the HEFCE, is responsible for the £750 million Joint Infrastructure Fund initiative, which provides for research infrastructure and equipment in UK universities. My Department is also responsible, together with the Higher Education Funding Councils and the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, for the Joint Research Equipment Initiative for university research equipment.
Competition for funds from the JIF has been very strong. There have been many high quality applications and we have been able to fund only the most outstanding. Under the terms of the JIF scheme there can be no re-submission of unsuccessful applications.
JIF was set up as a one-off fund to boost university infrastructure. The Government are giving careful consideration to the need for a follow on programme. This includes exploration of options other than allocation based on competition through bidding.
The 1997 Dearing Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education drew attention to the need to invest in university research infrastructure in order to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of scientific research. Dearing's recommendations were based on the 1996 "Survey of Research Equipment in UK Universities" undertaken by the Policy Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Unit at the University of Manchester (PREST). Dearing also drew on Segal Quince and Wicksteed's 1997 "Review of Dual Support: The Funding Gap" study of overall research funding in universities.
I understand that the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom expects to publish shortly an updated study by PREST, part funded by CVCP and HEFCE, of the present state of research equipment provision and needs in UK universities.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what his policy is on funding proposals which have not been successful in gaining an allocation from the Joint Infrastructure Fund; [122165]
- (2) what provision will be made for financing research infrastructure once the funds from the Joint Infrastructure Fund have been allocated; [122164]
(3) what analysis has been made of the volume of investment required in research infrastructure in universities to bring infrastructure in particular subject areas up to the standards of major international competitors. [122166]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 15 May 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today to her written question 122138, Official Report, column 193W.
Insolvency Legislation
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans his Department has to act on the recently published consultation document on reform of insolvency legislation. [121661]
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Dr. Howells: The consultation document, "Bankruptcy: A Fresh Start"--which is the formulation of outline suggestions for possible changes to the law--marks the end of the first stage of the review. The consultation period ends on 30 June. A lot of detailed work will be needed before decisions are made about whether and, if so, how bankruptcy law should be changed. This will be informed by responses to the consultation.
EU Research and Development Reports
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what categories of reports are funded under the call for proposals for indirect research and technological development actions in the framework of the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration in the field of improving the human research potential and the socioeconomic knowledge base, referred to in European Community Document (2000/c 74/08); and if he will make a statement. [121493]
Ms Hewitt: European Community Document 2000/c 74/08 refers to a call for proposals under the Strategic Analysis of Specific Policy Issues (STRATA) activity of the programme, Improving the Human Research Potential and the Socio-Economic Knowledge Base (IHP). The call identifier is IHP-STRATA-00-1.
Under the call the Commission has invited proposals to produce reports on a number of specific issues relating to science and technology policies, these include:
- European science and technology policies and national and global systems;
- Articulation between research, training and development and other policies within the European institutional environment;
- Management of change in science and technology policy; and
- Collaboration in science, technology and innovation: changing needs and opportunities for policy.
Research
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the Government's research priorities and the research priorities of (a) the United States and (b) Germany. [122133]
Ms Hewitt: This Government's overall priorities for science and technology were set out following the Comprehensive Spending Review in "Forward Look 1999 (Cm 4363)". They are:
- Maintaining the excellence of UK Science--ensuring UK science is and remains world class;
- Promoting business exploitation--supporting the development and exploitation of new and existing technologies, particularly through encouraging partnerships and the flow of people between universities and business; and
- Ensuring effective use of science and technology by Government Departments--in support of their policy, regulatory, and procurement responsibilities.
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In the USA, the main priorities for civilian research set out in the federal budget for Financial Year 2000 are:
- All areas of Biomedical research, in particular human genomics and also plant genome research;
- Fundamental information technology research; and
- Bio-complexity--research on inter-dependencies between the elements of specific environmental systems.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been provided by each of the research councils and the four funding councils for spending by the universities on equipment to support scientific research programmes by subject area in each year since 1994. [122135]
Ms Hewitt: Data in respect of the Research Councils and the Higher and Further Education Funding Council (England) are as set out.
Details of awards so far made from the Joint Infrastructure Fund were provided in my answer to my hon. Friend's written question 121665 answered today, Official Report, column 193W.
The funding of Higher Education Institutions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.
| Year | Mainstream | JREI | JIF (£ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 62.8 | -- | (4)7.5 |
| 1995-96 | 67.1 | -- | (5)9.0 |
| 1996-97 | 45.4 | 19.8 | (6)7.7 |
| 1997-98 | 50.0 | 25.7 | -- |
| 1998-99 | 52.3 | 25.8 | -- |
| 1999-2000 | 53.9 | 16.3 | -- |
| 2000-01 | 54.0 | -- | -- |
(4) Round 1
(5) Round 2
(6) Round 3
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| Capital element of research grants to HEIs | 1994-95 | 1995-6 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBSRC | 8.800 | 8.100 | 7.720 | 6.280 | 7.470 | 10.000 | 11.000 |
| EPSRC | 33.296 | 32.307 | 33.564 | 35.585 | 39.336 | 33.764 | 49.627 |
| ESRC | 0.100 | 0.100 | 0.300 | 0.600 | 0.600 | 0.700 | 0.800 |
| MRC | 11.300 | 9.950 | 11.631 | 11.700 | 10.182 | 8.276 | 7.800 |
| NERC | 3.340 | 6.818 | 3.087 | 3.897 | 3.263 | 3.805 | 5.908 |
| PPARC | 3.472 | 6.751 | 4.363 | 5.238 | 5.213 | 6.039 | 6.175 |
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| Calendar year of the award | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
| BBSRC | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 3 |
| EPSRC | 3 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 5.5 |
| MRC | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| NERC | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| PPARC | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Total | 5.6 | 8.2 | 9.6 | 12.2 |
The Research Councils also provide access for university researchers to national and international facilities.
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