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UK Space Policy

: I am happy to make such acknowledgements and I was not slinging things. The Nietzschean picture of doom and gloom painted by the hon. Member for Ribble Valley is not my view of science and technology. I was trying to help the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham and was agreeing with some of her important comments. She was right that we have to exploit these things. I did not try to demean the previous Government. I tried only to paint the picture. I agreed with the hon. Lady about one issue, which was the drop in the number of students studying physics. If we are to create scientists and engineers to deal with the problems of UK space policy, we have to train scientists and we ought to have more physicists. I find it sad that the number taking physics at school is dropping in the country that gave Newton, Faraday and Maxwell to the world. We do well at primary school level in getting children interested in science. At secondary level, things seem to go in the wrong direction. I speak as a strong friend of the Government and praise their achievement, but my hon. Friend the Minister ought to have some words with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. We ought to consider why those things are happening; there is no magic answer. The hon. Member for Ribble Valley gave no explanation of how to deal with it. He just said, ““Enthusiasm, enthusiasm, enthusiasm””. That is fine, but we can create only so much enthusiasm before it reaches a certain level. It existed in the spirit of scientific innovation once upon a time, but I know that we have moved away from Faraday and Newton and individuals do not do research in the way that they did; they work in collaboration either in research institutions or internationally. To a certain extent, I am concerned, just as the hon. Member for Ribble Valley is. We must look ahead and the situation I describe is the thing that we must get right if we are to create world-class physicists. That is one thing about which I strongly agree with him. I am sure that the Minister will address it because it is worrying, as is the situation in relation to chemistry departments mentioned by the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham. I was not trying to make a partisan speech. I had not even prepared to take part in this debate. The hon. Member for Ribble Valley provoked me into doing so by trying to rewrite the achievements of the Government. This is the first time that I have spoken loudly on science policy on behalf of the Government. As I said, it is a testament to our very good Minister for Science and Innovation, who has achieved a great deal. I idolise him and think that he has done a marvellous job. He came to my constituency several times trying to encourage youngsters to study science and he was there during the election campaign. In fact, he visited one of the science labs at Laurence Jackson school. Ministers can do only so much. Nevertheless, we must take seriously the concerns that I have addressed. As one who had no intention of taking part in the debate and ended up making a 10-minute speech, I think that I ought to shut up and sit down.