§ 7. Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what has been the total expenditure this year on research, excluding space research and human sciences, by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research; how this has been spent; and how this compares with similar expenditure in previous years.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethThe sums for which my hon. Friend has asked were for 1959–60, £11.1 million; for 1960–61, £13.3 million; for 1961–62, £15.2 million; for 1962–63—provision in Civil Estimates—£18.5 million. The provision in the 1962–63 Civil Estimates is, therefore, 66⅔ per cent. above actual expenditure in 1959–60. I will circulate with the OFFICIAL REPORT a breakdown of these figures.
§ Mr. OsbornWhile thanking my hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask whether he can state now how much of that expenditure has gone to research associations?
§ Mr. FreethThe annual payment to research associations has been about £2 million. The annual increase has been about 8 per cent.
§ Mr. MitchisonDoes not the Parliamentary Secretary admit that both the first set of figures and the last figure he gave are painfully inadequate in view of the importance of science in the world today? How do those figures compare with expenditure in other countries?
§ Mr. FreethIt is very difficult to get exact comparisons with other countries, because virtually no other country has a body with exactly the same functions and limits as the D.S.I.R. The size of the grant to research associations is, of course, related to the contributions of the industrial firms for whose benefit the research associations exist.
§ Sir H. Legge-BourkeWhilst I welcome the improvement that my hon. Friend has announced, may I ask him whether he would agree that before one can possibly assess the full measure of
| D.S.I.R.'S EXPENDITURES ON RESEARCH OTHER THAN SPACE RESEARCH AND HUMAN SCIENCES IN THE LAST THREE FINANCIAL YEARS AND THE COMPARABLE PROVISION IN THIS YEAR'S ESTIMATES HAVE BEEN:— | ||||||||
| £'000 | ||||||||
| 1959–60 | 1960–61 | 1961–62 | 1962–63 (Provision in Civil Estimates) | |||||
| £'000 | Per cent. of total | £'000 | Per cent. of total | £'000 | Per cent. of total | £'000 | Per cent. of total | |
| D.S.I.R. Research Stations | 6,297 | 57 | 7,530 | 56 | 8,227 | 55 | 9,332 | 50 |
| Research in Universities | 1,765 | 16 | 2,548 | 19 | 3,434 | 22 | 4,732 | 26 |
| Research in Industry— | ||||||||
| (a) Research Associations | 1,787 | 16 | 1,928 | 15 | 2,121 | 14 | 2,215 | 12 |
| (b) Development Contracts | — | — | — | — | 11 | — | 520 | 3 |
| Contribution to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research | 1,259 | 11 | 1,330 | 10 | 1,359 | 9 | 1,700 | 9 |
| Total | 11,108 | 100 | 13,336 | 100 | 15,152 | 100 | 18,499 | 100 |