HC Deb 11 May 1967 vol 746 cc1686-7
32. Mr. Barnes

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make finance available to make it possible for the Reading Research Unit to carry out specific pieces of educational research arising out of the initial teaching alphabet experiment, as an alternative to the long-term support originally requested by the unit.

The Minister of State, Department of Education and Science (Mr. Goronwy Roberts)

The Department has made grants of over £19,000 to the unit for specific research projects, and is unable to provide more funds for the reasons explained by my hon. Friend the Minister of State in the debate on this subject on 21st April last.—[Vol. 745, c. 1053–62.]

Mr. Barnes

Are not the facts that this team will break up—in fact, it is breaking up and members of it are going to America—just at a point when their researches are starting to show some very interesting results? Is not this a great pity?

Mr. Roberts

I do not accept everything that my hon. Friend has said. The Director of the unit may, if he wishes, put proposals for a prototype project research to the various bodies which stand ready to consider any worth-while proposal of this kind.