§ 28. Mr. David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much public money the Government intend to spend in support of research into all the sciences for which he is responsible on his Vote, for each year up to and including 1970; and how it will be allocated between the principal sciences and between the principal institutions.
§ Mr. CroslandIn the current year, provision has been made for an expenditure of £53.6 million for research councils and other science Votes. No decision has been taken on expenditure for future years.
§ Mr. PriceArising out of that rather disappointing Answer, can the right hon. Gentleman explain why this feature of research has not appeared in his right hon. Friend's National Plan, as it strikes many of us that forward Government planning in their contributions to research and development should be one of the items in the forefront of any National Plan?
§ Mr. CroslandWe must have forward economic planning of science expenditure. Apart from anything else, if we do not have it, science expenditure will rapidly get out of control. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the Council for Scientific Policy was set up comparatively recently with the precise task of advising the Government on what future expenditure should be and how it might be divided, but it would be wrong to press the Council to give its long-term view on the question before it was ready to do so.