HC Deb 24 January 1967 vol 739 cc1246-8
12. Mr. Fortescue

asked the Minister of Technology what plans he has to coordinate and rationalise the activities of the various bodies and groups responsible for the development of air-cushion vehicles, in view of the fact that these bodies and groups are all now within the ambit of his Department.

Mr. Benn

I am considering the arrangements for the co-ordination of Government research and development in hovercraft. As a first step the National Physical Laboratory will take over responsibility on 1st April for the Hythe Technical Group, a subsidiary body of the National Research Development Corporation. The Hythe Group is the largest Government-financed research and development unit now working in this field and the broad outlines for its future have been agreed. With permission, I will circulate further details of these arrangements in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

I am sure that these arrangements will greatly help to increase the impetus behind hovercraft technology and development.

Mr. Fortescue

Does the Minister's reply mean that as from 1st April the National Research Development Corporation will have no responsibility for the development of the hovercraft industry?

Mr. Benn

No, certainly not. The relationship between N.R.D.C. and Hovercraft Development Ltd. and others in this field will remain. Here, however, was a centre of research which, we felt, should not be limited to one of the developments but should be generally available. I would greatly welcome further proposals for future development of hovercraft from other sources.

Mr. David Price

When H.D.L. comes under the National Physical Laboratory, will it become a division of the N.P.L. or will it retain the degree of managerial independence which it enjoyed as long as it was a subsidiary of the N.R.D.C., which all would agree had value?

Mr. Benn

I ought to explain that H.D.L. is not coming under the N.P.L., but the Hythe Technical Unit is. This means that Government research in hovercraft will be available for others who want to move into this field. H.D.L.'s position remains unaffected.

Following are the details: The Hovercraft Technical Group at Hythe of Hovercraft Development Ltd., a subsidiary body of the National Research Development Corporation, will come under the control of a separate Hovercraft Unit to be set up by the National Physical Laboratory. A section of this unit will be attached to the Inter-Services Hovercraft Trials Unit of the Ministry of Defence. The N.P.L. unit will deal with all forms of hovercraft and with other applications of the air-cushion principle, including hover-trains. Arrangements for co-ordination between the N.P.L. Hovercraft Unit and other Government R. & D. establishments are under consideration. The co-ordinated Research and Development programmes will cover both civil and military aspects of the work and will be undertaken in close co-operation with N.R.D.C. and the industry. N.R.D.C. will continue through H.D.L. to manage patent rights for hovercraft and hover-train inventions, including future inventions derived from the work of the Government's own establishments, and to consider applications for licences. It will also be prepared to consider new proposals for financial assistance to industry for the development of hovercraft.