§ 13. Mr. Owenasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will now appoint a research council which will be responsible for the research into the conservation of natural resources.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethI would refer the hon. Member to the Answer my right hon. Friend the Minister of Education gave the hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. de Freitas) on Friday, 3rd February, 1961.
§ Mr. OwenIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware of the concern expressed by the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy about the importance of the conservation of our natural resources, and is he not willing to reexamine the whole question in the interests of national prosperity and progress?
§ Mr. FreethThe Advisory Council is at present considering the matter, as my 1171 right hon. Friend the Minister of Education stated, and we must await its detailed recommendations before any actual steps can be taken.
§ Mr. PeartBut is not the hon. Gentleman aware that the Advisory Council in principle accepted the need for an organisation? It decided that in principle —why wait?
§ Mr. FreethIf the hon. Gentleman cares to read paragraphs 27, 36 and 37 of the Advisory Council's Report he will see that the Council suggested that the question of a natural resources research council was still one that needed a lot of further research, and that we are now doing.
§ Sir H. Legge-BourkeWould my hon. Friend please convey to his right hon. Friend the very real concern there is on this matter on both sides of the House, and point out that the Advisory Council on Scientific Policy has referred to one important gap in responsibility which a research council of this kind would fill? Would he press on to see whether we cannot set up such a research council.
§ Mr. FreethThis, of course, raises a large number of very varied questions and very varied responsibility. I think that we should await the Advisory Council's further Report before we decide to set up a new body to coordinate all the existing work being done by a variety of Departments.