UK Parliament / Open data

Science and Discovery Centres (Funding)

Adjournment debate on Thursday, 15 May 2008, in the House of Commons, led by Lord Willis of Knaresborough. The answering members were Ian Pearson and Ian Pearson.

Westminster Hall adjournment debate on funding for science and discovery centres. (Inc ref to the Science and Technology Select Committee eleventh report of session 2006-07, HC 903, and the Government response, HC 214 2007-08) Motion made, and Question proposed, That the sitting be new adjourned.—[Alison Seabeck.]

About these Parliamentary proceedings

Reference

475 c481-516WH

Session

2007-08

Department

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills

Chamber / Committee

Westminster Hall

Deposited Paper DEP2008-1536
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Deposited papers
House of Commons

Funding of science and discovery centres. Innovation Universities and Skills Select Committee first special report - government response to the Science and Technology Select Committee's eleventh report of session 2006-07 (HC 903).
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Parliamentary committees
House of Commons

Funding of Science and Discovery Centres. Science and Technology Select Committee eleventh report with proceedings, evidence (HC 903-i not printed separately) and appendices.
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Parliamentary committees
House of Commons

Proceeding contributions

Ian Pearson | 475 c513WH (Link to this contribution) We could pursue a number of different options. Certainly, I am happy to consider all the options and...

Evan Harris | 475 c513WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for the opportunity to fend for myself and to probe the Minister on that point. I thin...

Show all contributions (40)

Ian Pearson | 475 c514WH (Link to this contribution) I recognise that there is a distinction to be made between commercial success and financial sustaina...

Adam Afriyie | 475 c514WH (Link to this contribution) I shall be charming, and I am sure that the Minister will be charming too. I recognise that he is ma...

Ian Pearson | 475 c514WH (Link to this contribution) I was just coming to the hon. Gentleman, so I will give way to him.

Ian Pearson | 475 c514-6WH (Link to this contribution) I am not writing anything off; I am saying that I see no realistic prospect that the DCMS will open ...

Ian Pearson | 475 c509-11WH (Link to this contribution) I am sure that the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Dr. Harris) is more than capable of de...

Adam Afriyie | 475 c511WH (Link to this contribution) I am marginally reassured by hearing that the Minister, too, is keen to commission the research. Why...

Lord Willis of Knaresborough | 475 c509WH (Link to this contribution) I hope that the Minister will not be uncharacteristically disingenuous again. He is not responding t...

Brian Iddon | 475 c512WH (Link to this contribution) I have a point on VAT that did not appear on the report. When we purchased our £500,000-worth of equ...

Ian Pearson | 475 c511-2WH (Link to this contribution) I should be happy to make available the study's terms of reference to the Committee. I suggest that ...

Evan Harris | 475 c511WH (Link to this contribution) Does the Minister intend to consult the Committee on the terms of reference for the research when he...

Ian Pearson | 475 c511WH (Link to this contribution) I can see other hon. Members nodding at that suggestion. I reassure the hon. Gentleman that the Gove...

Brian Iddon | 475 c513WH (Link to this contribution) I am pleased that the Minister said that. It will take a long time at the current rate to spread sci...

Ian Pearson | 475 c512WH (Link to this contribution) I appreciate my hon. Friend's comments and his commitment to science centres. However, science centr...

Adam Afriyie | 475 c502WH (Link to this contribution) I do not want to deride accountants and solicitors, but the hon. Gentleman may be interested to know...

Evan Harris | 475 c502-3WH (Link to this contribution) Absolutely, and the Committee noted during its current engineering inquiry that a significant number...

Ian Pearson | 475 c509WH (Link to this contribution) I shall first annoy the hon. Gentleman a little. I do not accept the argument that science centres f...

Evan Harris | 475 c509WH (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister give way?

Ian Pearson | 475 c509WH (Link to this contribution) It does come back to the collections issue. I am happy to provide whatever additional information I ...

Evan Harris | 475 c509WH (Link to this contribution) I hope that the Minister is willing to place in the Library or to give us an analysis of those nine ...

Ian Pearson | 475 c504WH (Link to this contribution) It is a great experience for children.

Adam Afriyie | 475 c503-4WH (Link to this contribution) I am delighted to participate in this stimulating, exciting and crucial debate about the future of u...

Ian Pearson | 475 c507-9WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Mr. Willis) for introducing the de...

Adam Afriyie | 475 c504-6WH (Link to this contribution) It is a great centre. The youngsters come in teams and, after a lot of training, manage to fly a Cha...

Evan Harris | 475 c498-502WH (Link to this contribution) It is always a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson), who modestly said...

Ian Gibson | 475 c497-8WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend. I will go even further and say that many of the societies—the Royal Society ...

Brian Iddon | 475 c497WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend mentioned a mobile science and discovery centre. Would he like to join me in congratu...

Ian Gibson | 475 c495-7WH (Link to this contribution) Yes, Norwich is a city full of pubs and churches. I always get this wrong—even on my website—so shal...

Brian Iddon | 475 c495WH (Link to this contribution) I hope that my hon. Friend will tell us more about Inspire; I understand that it was started in a ch...

Speaker | 475 c481WH (Link to this contribution) I gently remind those present that this is a debate about science and discovery centres, as in the t...

Lord Willis of Knaresborough | 475 c481WH (Link to this contribution) Thank you very much for your wise counsel, Mr. Gale. It is lovely to be introducing this debate in y...

Ian Gibson | 475 c481WH (Link to this contribution) Good. You're safe now.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough | 475 c481-5WH (Link to this contribution) Indeed. I always have to mention Scotland—usually Dundee—to get me off the hook for the following 15...

Ian Gibson | 475 c485WH (Link to this contribution) Where did you get that?

Lord Willis of Knaresborough | 475 c485-6WH (Link to this contribution) I said that perhaps that was the case. It may even be that we do not need more scientists or enginee...

Ian Gibson | 475 c493-5WH (Link to this contribution) I apologise for having to leave at four o'clock, but I have to be in another part of Westminster to ...

Brian Iddon | 475 c489-93WH (Link to this contribution) I do not carry the figure around in my head, of course, but I can tell my hon. Friend that the NWRDA...

Ian Gibson | 475 c489WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend mentioned the fact that the TIC has received £10,000 from the local regional developm...

Brian Iddon | 475 c487-9WH (Link to this contribution) I am a great believer in children and adults alike experiencing the excitement of science and the di...

Subjects

Finance

Science and discovery centres

Link

View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk