§ 15. Mr. Skeffingtonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what proportion of the work of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is work in connection with the defence programme.
§ Mr. BevinsOnly a small proportion of the work of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is directly undertaken for the Defence Departments. A much larger proportion of its work no doubt has an important defence application, even though undertaken primarily for civil purposes.
§ Mr. SkeffingtonCan the Minister say whether, in fact, any allocation of grant is received from other Departments for the work which is undertaken?
§ Mr. BevinsAs I say, only a very small percentage—about 5 per cent.—of the D.S.I.R. work is directly undertaken for defence, and that normally is paid for by the Defence Departments.