Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

-----but I found it difficult to follow the Minister of State's answer. It seems convenient that we have subsumed pure basic research under the umbrella of oriented basic research when the latter is really applied research. The amount of investment in the former has fallen disproportionately. The issue that the scientific community and even the business community is putting to the Government is that its science strategy is imbalanced. There will be a serious problem for society unless this is addressed. The international standard that we developed before 2012 is in danger of being eroded.

The Government's consultation process on a replacement for the science, technology and innovation strategy was rushed, although it received 77 submissions. Will the Minister of State address the point on the range of bodies that have expressed concern? The Institute of Physics in Ireland, the Medical Research Charities Group, the Royal Irish Academy and the Health Research Board have stated that the relentless focus on research prioritisation poses dangers for our economy. The Minister of State's figures seem to bear out this concern.

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