Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 10:

In page 6, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following:
"Amendment of section 23 of the Act of 2003
6. Section 23 of the Act of 2003 is amended by adding a new paragraph after subsection (2)(c):"(d) detail the balance of expenditure between basic and applied research, including where no such distinction is possible, and between the different strategic areas of opportunity for the State defined by the Minister in accordance with section 7(6).".".

This amendment deals with some of the fundamental issues of the Bill. The Minister of State signalled that the Bill is important in shaping the future direction of Science Foundation Ireland and where it goes in its teenage years and that the intention is not to move funding away from basic research. That is the wish of the Minister of State but when another Minister takes over who has different priorities, there is nothing in the legislation to prevent him or her from upending the current Minister of State's wishes. As he guards the legislation coming through, some other Minister may come in and change it completely. Amendments Nos. 10 and 11 would oblige Science Foundation Ireland to outline specifically what it is doing. Amendment No. 10 would require that an account be given on the proposed balance of expenditure between different types of research in various areas of research, and amendment No. 11 seeks that it be outlined in an annual report. That means the foundation will be conscious of the wishes of the legislation about basic research and that it will be core to its remit.