§ 4. Mr. McBrideasked the Chief Secretary to the Treasury if arrangements will be made for the establishment in South Wales of a research unit of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, or a unit of comparable status in any proposed reorganisation of the Department, in order to co-ordinate all research under this heading, to make available to industry the services of specialists employed by the unit, and to enable the speedy application to industry of lessons learned and methods evolved by the unit.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterNo, Sir. The many facilities of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are already available to Welsh industry through the services of the Department's branch office in Cardiff.
§ Mr. McBrideI am aware of what was said in an Answer of 23rd July last by the then Parliamentary Secretary for 778 Science, but does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that no apportionment of funds for this purpose represents a reversal of forward thinking? Will he reconsider the decision in order that industry in South Wales could benefit by the measures outlined in the last part of my Question?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterNo, Sir, I do not think so. The D.S.I.R. laboratories operate on a national basis and serve the nation as a whole. I think that Welsh industry gets more advantage from having the service of the whole national set-up through the D.S.I.R. branch office in Cardiff than it would from onenecessarily specialised establishment in the district.