HC Deb 25 February 1958 vol 583 cc184-5
20. Mr. Willey

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what progress has been made by the Committee on Scientific Manpower to obtain the relevant statistics and information to assess periodically the supply of scientists and engineers.

Mr. H. Nicholls

In response to a request from the Committee on Scientific Manpower, the professional scientific and engineering institutions have offered to co-operate in carrying out an annual review of their membership. In addition, it has now been decided that a further survey of the number of scientists and engineers employed in Great Britain, similar in scope to the one carried out in 1955, will be undertaken towards the end of 1958.

Mr. Willey

Can the Parliamentary Secretary say why these surveys should be over this particular period? Would it not be better to hold them more frequently?

Mr. Nicholls

It was felt that there would not be sufficient change in less than three years to justify another survey. The original one was in 1955, and we asked the Committee to estimate what the position would be in three years' time so that we can now check on its estimates.

Mr. Woodburn

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there is a great diversity between scientific discoveries and their application to industry and that scientists complain considerably that our inventions and knowledge are far ahead of application in industry, and that many of our ideas go to Switzerland and elsewhere to be developed by other people?

Mr. Nicholls

I do not think there is anything to substantiate the suggestion that industry does not keep in close contact with new research in this country and elsewhere.