§ 17. Mr. Heathcoat-Amoryasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on progress in recent months with respect to the fusion project at Culham.
§ Mr. Giles ShawEncouraging progress continues to be made in the Joint European Torus project and at the UKAEA's laboratory at Culham, which are both parts of the Euratom fusion programme.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryWill my hon. Friend try to ensure that the subsequent development work flowing from the project is carried out in Britain, as far as possible, as a contribution towards correcting the imbalance in our contributions to the European Community?
§ Mr. ShawI understand my hon. Friend's point of view. He will be aware that this is a matter for negotiation with our European partners, but he will be glad to know that construction of the device was completed on schedule and very close to budget. He will also be delighted to know that Her Majesty the Queen will formally open the JET at a ceremony on 9 April.