§ 46. Mr. A. Robertsasked the Prime Minister if he will consider the advisability of transferring the control and supervision of the Greenwich Research Station to the Ministry of Fuel and Power.
§ The Prime MinisterCertain changes in the administration of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are being proposed in a Bill which has recently come to this House from another place. Matters such as this will no doubt be considered when the new Executive Council is set up.
§ Mr. RobertsDoes not the Prime Minister agree that more impetus and direction would be given in this field if it were brought under the direction of the Ministry of Fuel and Power?
§ The Prime MinisterThere is a Bill from another place which deals with this topic and proposes to set up an executive council. We ought to give it a chance to pronounce upon the matter before we attempt to define our position.
§ Mr. CallaghanHas the right hon. Gentleman not noticed that the principal achievement of this research station in the last twenty years been to discover how to produce oil from coal, and would it not advance matters if it were to reverse the process and show us how to produce coal from oil?
§ The Prime MinisterThey are burnt in about equal measure.