Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday demanded that Minister Without Portfolio Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) report to the Legislative Yuan when it reviews technology-related budget proposals.
Lawmakers on the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday met to review the budget proposals submitted by the Ministry of Science and Technology for the next fiscal year.
While technology policy is mainly made by the ministry, its proposals are subject to review by the Board of Science and Technology, but Wu, who is one of the board’s deputy conveners, has never reported to the committee, KMT Legislator Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛) said.
NT$1.8 billion (US$58.5 million) of the ministry’s NT$30 billion budget for technology development is allocated to the board and should be frozen until Wu answers lawmakers’ questions, Chiang said.
Responding to lawmakers’ questions, Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said that both he and Wu are the board’s deputy conveners under Premier William Lai (賴清德) and that the ministry is fully responsible for carrying out technology-related policy.
While the board’s executive secretary, Tsai Zse-hong (蔡志宏), appeared before the committee after it requested a higher-ranking official, the committee decided to put off reviewing the board’s budget until Wu reports to the committee.
Fielding questions about the ministry’s proposed third space program from next year to 2028, Chen said that review by the Executive Yuan is taking longer than expected due to differences in opinion, so it might not start until 2020.
Some hold the view that the ministry should focus on seeking technological breakthroughs in space technology, while others say developing commercially viable technology is a priority, Chen said.
The ministry is more inclined to pursue breakthroughs and the third space program would outline plans to develop synthetic aperture radar systems that facilitate satellite imaging through heavy cloud cover, Chen added.
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