§ 31. Professor A. V. Hillasked the Lord President of the Council to which of the three bodies under his direction, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Medical Research Council and the Agricultural Research Council, should application be directed for financial assistance to research on the following subjects: marine biology, freshwater biology, ecology, genetics, cytology, vital statistics, biophysics, general physiology, experimental psychology; and can such assistance be given to promote fundamental research in these fields, or is it limited to specific projects which can be shown to have practical application to industry, medicine or agriculture.
§ The Lord President of the Council (Mr. Attlee)Where there is no indication to the contrary in a particular case, it would be appropriate to address applications in the first instance to the Agricultural Research Council if they relate to ecology, genetics (other than specifically human), or plant cytology, and to the Medical Research Council if they relate to human 598 genetics, vital statistics, biophysics, general physiology, or experimental psychology. The Development Commission is the body responsible for recommending advances from the Development Fund for marine biology and freshwater biology in relation to the fisheries. Arrangements exist between the different bodies whereby applications can be transferred from one to the other so that they can be dealt with in the most suitable manner. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Medical Research Council and the Agricultural Research Council aid specific projects for fundamental research when further knowledge is required in the fields for which they are responsible, even if it cannot be shown that such researches have an immediate application to industry, medicine, or agriculture.
§ Sir H. WilliamsWould the Department also consider an application for assisting research, into elementary economics by the White Paper department of His Majesty's Government?