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Scientific Publications: Free for all?

: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that intervention. I understand what he says. The most effective measure of peer review is people examining the work and then asking whether others would be prepared to pay for it. When people come to decide whether to renew a subscription, they must be certain that they are getting the most thorough and best-quality research. The present system is rather better at guaranteeing that at the highest level. We talk about the costs of funding research, but we have not taken account of the significant additional costs of publishing, marketing and bringing the research to wider attention. Unless the state is prepared to fund all that—that would represent a major extension of its funding in this area—we need to think carefully about taking that approach. The market is generally working well, choice is growing and new people are entering the market with new approaches, as we have heard. We do not, therefore, need to consider fundamental root-and-branch reform. I would be grateful if the Minister could pick up on the issue of VAT on digital publications, which a few hon. Members have mentioned. The Government expect to make VAT gains from such publications over time because more will be done digitally than on a paper basis. As a result, the area that has been VAT exempt will decline and the area that is subject to VAT will grow. It is worrying that the Government should look to make money out of this, and I hope that the Minister can give us some reassurances on the issue. We have heard that profits in the sector are high. However, the overall cost to universities of the present arrangements remains low—at one half of 1 per cent. of their total budget. The best way to end is to quote again from the Royal Society's publication and its conclusions. The Royal Society ends by saying:"““Careful forethought, informed by proper investigation of the costs and benefits, is required before introducing new models that amount to the biggest change in the way that knowledge is exchanged since the invention of the peer-reviewed scientific journal 340 years ago. Otherwise the exchange of knowledge could be severely disrupted, and researchers and wider society will suffer the resulting consequences.””" We are all committed to maintaining that exchange: it is a beacon of excellence and the hallmark of the research that has been carried out in this country and propagated throughout the world. I hope that the Minister can answer some of the many points that have been raised in the debate.