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Dear Colleagues, The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee of the UK House of Commons has released its report on "Science Budget Allocations". The report concentrates on the process used to conclude that funding for the ILC, among other projects, in the UK should be terminated. Among its findings: ".. we are concerned that the Government has failed to protect the existing and planned research base, and we have reservations about the influence Government appears to have on the use of the budget and the extent to which the Haldane Principle* has been upheld." "... the first Science Budget Allocations of the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has been marred by a few poor decisions..." "In STFC itself, we found weaknesses in its peer review system, its communications and its management. We are concerned about some of the decisions made in its Delivery Plan and how those decisions were made. We recommend that STFC wait for the results of the Wakeham review of physics before implementing the cuts proposed in the Delivery Plan..." The Times has an article, titled "Top physicist is urged to quit over failings, flaws and secrets" which provides an overview and some initial reaction to this report. You can read the article online at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3842430.ece The full report can be found online at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmdius/215/215.pdf Norman Graf * "The cornerstone of science funding in the UK is the Haldane Principle, which asserts that detailed decisions on how to spend the Science Budget should be made by scientists rather than politicians."