Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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605. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will seek to rebalance the funding of science research such that the Government's preference for funding oriented basic research, applied research and over-basic research in view of the fact that this preference has led to steadily decreasing numbers of research staff in Irish universities, the unavailability of hands-on laboratory training for science students and a knock-on effect on Irish universities' international rankings. [15704/15]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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606. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to set out her plans to review the imbalance of funding between applied and basic science and engineering research in view of the fact that this imbalance has led to a systemic distortion of research incentives that is at odds with her Department's role as overseer of education rather than industrial innovation. [15707/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 605 and 606 together.

The Strategy for Science, Technology & Innovation 2006 to 2013 (SSTI) was a broad based strategy which covered funding for research and innovation across all disciplines and across the full continuum of research from basic to applied, as well as commercialisation of research. The Government remains committed to the further development of our research ecosystem given the key role that it plays not only in underpinning economic recovery and maintaining Ireland's competitiveness, but also given its centrality to the quality of our higher education system and the broader societal developments that research drives.

As the Deputy will be aware, the process of developing a successor strategy to the SSTI is underway. The formulation of the new Strategy provides a clear opportunity for Ireland to develop a new whole-of-Government strategy for research and innovation that can build on the progress made to date and is timely as Ireland moves into a new phase of economic growth and societal development. An Interdepartmental Committee, under the chairmanship of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, has been tasked with developing proposals for this new Strategy. I am represented on this Committee by officials from my Department and they are closely engaged with the process. An important element of this process is stakeholder and public consultation and some 75 submissions have been received, including from the higher education sector. The issue of future funding for all areas of research will be considered in the context of the completion of this work.