§ 1. Mr. Braineasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the gross national product was spent by Government and by private industry on scientific research and development, excluding market research and capital development, in 1939, 1950 and 1955.
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. J. Enoch Powell)The proportion in 1955 is estimated at about 2 per cent. Between one-third and one-half of this work was done in Government laboratories and nationalised industries, and a large part of the remainder was financed by the Government. I regret that there are no estimates for 1939 and 1950.
§ Mr. BraineDoes my hon. Friend agree that there is a definite, established correlation between investment in research and an increase in national productivity? Would he not also agree that in the United States of America there is far greater investment in research and, therefore, far greater results? Will he advise his right hon. Friend of these facts, if he agrees with them, with a view to reliefs in this direction being given in the forthcoming Budget?
§ Mr. PowellThe Advisory Council on Scientific Policy is considering the whole question of the extent to which the country's resources are devoted to research and the results of this investigation will be forthcoming.