PROFESSOR PATRICIA NUTTALL AND PROFESSOR MIKE HULME

12 DECEMBER 2006

  Q300  Dr Harris: What is the main lesson that you would take from this—I know it is still early days in the process, you have a long way to go and I feel sorry for you in that respect, but if you were starting again now is there anything you have learned that you would do differently or say differently at this point?

  Professor Nuttall: What we should have done is taken the proactive step at the start rather than take a reactive step following a large cut to our science budget funding, which necessitated a comparable reduction to our science.

  Q301  Dr Harris: Really this is a key question: can you be certain that your restructuring process and plan will not lead to a loss of science from within the UK as a whole? Can you be confident on this point?

  Professor Nuttall: At this moment in time, no, I cannot. I can be 75% confident but there is still a disturbing unknown, yes.

  Q302  Dr Harris: Do you think that NERC shares the view you have just expressed, that you cannot be 100% confident that the restructuring process and plan will not lead to a loss of science within the UK as a whole?

  Professor Nuttall: I know that NERC Council shares the concern. They have regular updates at every Council meeting from us, and one of the key questions they are always asking is what about the staff who are leaving; so, yes, they share our concern.

  Chairman: On that very sombre note we thank you very much indeed, Professor Nuttall and Professor Hulme for your frankness this morning in the exchanges with the Committee. They are extremely difficult issues to address and we are very, very conscious of that, which is one of the reasons why in fact we did this inquiry, it was to look not just at the closure of CEH institutes but what is the role of institutes across the piece, and this morning has been a very interesting session. Thank you very much indeed.