§ 1. Mr. Silvesterasked the Secretary of State for Industry what study he has made of the overlap of powers in bodies involved in the provision of assistance for industrial development.
The Minister of State, Department of Industry (Mr. Alan Williams)I keep under continuous review all aspects of assistance to industry, including the complementary nature of the power of the Government and of other agencies.
§ Mr. SilvesterWould it interest the Minister to know that I have counted at least two dozen committees, bodies and departments on the provision of industrial health in the Greater Manchester area alone? Is it not time for the pruning knife?
Mr. WilliamsI congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his arithmetic but not on his conclusions. I am afraid that most of these bodies have specific remits, and, as he will discover, industry normally has no great difficulty in establishing the appropriate source of finance for its requirements. All companies have to do is to approach the Department's regional offices, and we always aim them in the direction of the type of assistance relevant to their operations.
§ Mr. LitterickIs the Minister aware that more than half of all the money that goes in financial assistance to industry for use in research and development is devoted to research and development into armaments? Does he agree that this has a debilitating influence on the ability of British industry to continue to compete in civil and commercial markets?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman has widened the Question. Question No. 1 relates to the overlap of powers. There are other Questions on which the hon. Gentleman can put his supplementary question.