§ 27. Mr. Leaveyasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what is the present number of awards now being made by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to graduates in science and technology; and the prospect of increasing the number of these awards.
§ Mr. H. NichollsNine hundred and eighty-one D. S. I. R. Research Studentships are now current, of which 404 were new awards made in the present academic year. In the coming academic year it is expected that about 1,600 studentships will be current: 915 will be new awards, including 200 of the newly introduced Advanced Course Studentships. The increase is partly due to D. S. I. R. having taken over responsibility for certain awards from the Ministry of Education and the local education authorities in England and Wales. The number of awards for later years is under consideration.
§ Mr. LeaveyI am much obliged to my hon. Friend for that comprehensive Answer. May I ask him the current annual cost of these awards, and whether the Department is sponsoring any special studies other than those which he has outlined?
§ Mr. NichollsThe Vote for 1956–57 was for £340.000, and for 1957–58 the Vote is £445,500. There are special awards in addition to those mentioned in the Answer. These are sometimes given to individuals and sometimes given to the institution where the individual is working on a particular project.