Science funding plunges over past decade

TOTAL government funding of science has fallen by 16 per cent in real terms in the decade up to 1994/5, says the Institute of Biology. Although the Tories preserved the core science budget, it says funding has been slashed elsewhere. It cites the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, where R&D funding has fallen from Pounds 183 million to Pounds 137 million in the last decade. The institute calls for a science minister in Cabinet, less bureaucracy, stable funding and better career prospects.