HC Deb 27 June 1935 vol 303 cc1264-5
45. Mr. CHORLTON

asked the Lord President of the Council whether it is proposed to carry out any special research work with a view to arriving at new industries suitable to replace those on which the output has been greatly decreased by the loss of foreign markets like the cotton trade?

The LORD PRESIDENT of the COUNCIL (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald)

The possibilities of assisting industry in the (manner suggested by my hon. Friend engage the continuous attention of the Advisory Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. I would refer my hon. Friend to the observations of the Council on this subject set out in the Annual Report of the Department for 1930–31, pages 10–20, and I am sending him a copy. The policy there described is being pursued actively, and I am glad to be able to state that since the date of that Report there has been an increase in the use made of the facilities of the Department for assisting new industrial development.