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Rt. Hon. Stephen Byers - Former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Dec 1998 - Jun 2001)Biotechnology Industry Association Gala Dinner |
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It is a great pleasure to be your guest of honour for your 4th annual celebration of the biosciences. Grateful for the opportunity to use opportunity of my first major speech in the UK to set out the Government’s commitment to science and biotechnology. I make no apology for raising some serious questions, in a robust way, which we all have to answer if the sector is to advance. We are living through a period of great change. No country and no Government can afford to stand still. The status quo is not an option. But change is often difficult for people to come to terms with. Our task is to ensure that people feel they are partners of change and not victims of change. Perhaps nowhere is this more important than in the world of science, where one of the keys to future economic success lies in public attitudes to scientific developments and their application. Science has been neglected for far too long by politicians of all parties. We must not interfere unduly, should be a supportive ally, laying down the framework and acknowledge public concerns. It is a subject I take seriously. I want a public debate aimed at building up public confidence in science and biotechnology. British science is and must stay world class. But let me be clear, without public confidence our ability to lead in science based industries will be put at risk. This evening, I want to focus on how we put this right. I also want to stress my department’s continuing support for your increasingly important sector.
Science Science underpins our quality of life and is an invaluable source of wealth, economic regeneration and jobs. Science leads to world-changing innovation and new technologies. It can underpin consumer confidence, assuring us that products and goods are safe to eat and use. The UK’s science base is a critical source of competitive advantage - a source of ideas and skilled manpower. We are ending years of neglect in scientific research. The Government, in partnership with the Wellcome Foundation will be investing an additional £1.4 billion in the science base over the next 3 years. Money which must be spent well.
Biotechnology sector At least half of this money will go to the life sciences. It is here, perhaps more than any other area of contemporary science, that we are pushing back the boundaries of our understanding. The development of Dolly the sheep and of genetically modified food are radical new steps which affect all our lives - and indeed our very definition of life. It seems comical now, but when steam trains were first introduced, people were worried that their teeth would fall out - or worse - if they went over 30 miles an hour. Or consider cinema, where people ran in fear from the first film of a train running towards them. It is another demonstration of the need to carry people with us. Like steam or film, biotechnology has the potential to revolutionise our lives. It offers enormous opportunities to improve our quality of life, in terms of health, agriculture food and environmental protection, both here and in developing countries. In healthcare, biotechnology is already making a difference to our lives. Doing things which were simply not possible even 10 years ago. And it offers real hope in the treatment of conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Parkinson’s disease, cancers, and many more. In hard economic terms, biotechnology is an industry of the future - a knowledge driven industry - with great potential to create wealth and jobs. Exactly the sort of industry the Government wishes to promote. The UK’s achievements in biotechnology are already highly impressive. We have an industrial base which leads in Europe and is second only to the United States. Some 250 dedicated biotechnology companies employing an estimated 14,000 people. Over 400 companies involved in bio-related activities. In a market for biotech products of £30 billion in Europe alone with the potential to increase to over £100 billion by 2005. Plus of course, we have a strong presence of multinationals which increasingly rely on biotechnology and are already developing real products from biotech ideas. However, as we face increased competition, particularly from Germany, the UK’s lead in Europe cannot be taken for granted. It is also clear that there remain some unanswered questions about the possible impact of this new technology. Public interest and uncertainty is therefore to be expected. We must address these real and understandable concerns. It is no good telling people just to defer to scientists or to simply have faith in Government decisions. They rightly demand to understand what is happening.
Restoring public confidence in science Our first task is to build up public confidence in science and in the response of politicians to the advice they receive. The public inquiry on BSE has highlighted the sort of mistakes we must not repeat To restore public confidence openness and transparency are essential. These principles are at the heart of the guidelines produced by Sir Robert May, the Chief Scientific Adviser, on how we use science effectively in Government. I attach considerable importance to these guidelines. A new Ministerial Science Group, chaired by David Sainsbury, will bring together ministers in each department with responsibility for ensuring that the key principles are followed - we will, for example ensure that the best scientific advice is available The Government will not duck difficult issues. Our policy is to encourage publication of the scientific advice we receive. To ensure others in the scientific community can review the advice on which policy decisions are based. And to keep the public fully informed of developments.
Public consultation and biotechnology regulation For biotechnology, we need a better understanding of how the public feel - and what they want to know - about developments in this rapidly changing area. That is why we launched a public consultation on the biosciences to see how we address their concerns. This wide-ranging consultation will cover the implications of scientific progress, including ethical considerations on such issues as cloning and genetic testing. The process should be complete by April. This is a crucial area of work and whatever the results of the consultation may be I intend to make them public. Yesterday’s House of Lords report on the genetic modification of crops is a welcome contribution to our understanding of the benefits this technology offers. It has sparked just the sort of debate I wish to see more of. We will be responding to the report in due course. It is also clear that we must ensure that the public has confidence in our regulation of biotechnology. That is why, last year the Prime Minister established a new Ministerial Group on Biotechnology. This move recognised the growing importance of the biotechnology sector and the breadth of its implications for Government policy. We in the DTI are closely involved in this work. One of the first actions of the Ministerial Group was to begin a review of the framework of regulatory and advisory bodies on biotechnology. Ensuring that biotechnology developments are safe, environmentally sound and ethical is paramount. But if the UK is to benefit from the immense potential of biotechnology - and I am determined that we will - we need to strike a balance between public concerns about some aspects of the technology and the action that researchers and industry need to take to make progress. Communication and genuine dialogue are key. Industry and the science community must act responsibly and transparently. You must take responsibility for explaining continuously and openly the implications of technological advance and be sensitive to public concerns.
Government support The biotechnology industry is exactly the kind of industry we want to encourage in this country. Poverty of ambition has too often held us back. That’s why we are determined to create a culture of enterprise across the whole of the UK economy. We are taking steps to improve the tax framework, building on the reforms we have already made to Capital Gains Tax, to create an environment which encourages the exploitation of scientific discovery. We already have a venture capital market which recognises the potential of biotechnology. But we need to talk to the sector to see how more support can be provided for start-up businesses. To address this gap, we are creating a £150 million Enterprise Fund with the private sector, which will include a national venture capital fund to support very early-stage, high technology businesses. That is where the investment is needed most. And we will be taking particular action to encourage greater enterprise in our universities and foster the commercial exploitation of scientific ideas. We are looking at employee share ownership and equity incentives for key managers in smaller high-tech companies. As we said in the Pre-Budget Report, we are looking at the possibility of tax credits for Research and Development. Our current annual spend of some £600 million a year on biotechnology research and development speaks for itself. And for biotechnology specifically, DTI will continue to provide a range of innovative schemes building on the success of existing measures. From advice to start-ups on finance and growth to help for researchers in managing and exploiting intellectual property to helping other sectors use biotechnology to their advantage. As we also said in the White Paper we will shortly be launching a major successor to the Biotechnology Means Business programme. I hope to be able make an announcement on this in a few days.
Looking to the future But future success will depend on finding the answers to some hard questions. For example - how we get regulation right, balancing safety and innovation how we ensure that our start-ups grow and prosper, developing world-wide markets for their products how will companies restructure, consolidate while winning the confidence of investors how we support the switch from research into manufacture of biotech products, while anchoring investment in the UK and how we develop new skills to cope with new areas It is a huge area we need to tackle together In addition, David Sainsbury will be leading a team to look at the dynamics of biotechnology clusters.
Conclusion But as I have emphasised tonight our major task must be to restore public confidence in science and our scientists. This will require major effort and openness on the part of Government and industry. But again I make no apology for raising difficult questions. Working together, we can build up public confidence and ensure positive support for science and to biotechnology throughout the UK. I am confident that, given your strength and our commitment to your future, the UK is well placed to remain number one in Europe for biotechnology. As I said in the House of Commons today as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, I will be taking a close personal interest in science and biotechnology. I look forward to working with you, in partnership, to meet the challenges which lie ahead. |
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Other speeches by Rt. Hon. Stephen Byers - Former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Dec 1998 - Jun 2001)
(the following are available from the archive) |
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