§ Mr. Leonardasked the Lord President of the Council what was the total expenditure, capital and recurrent, of the Medical Research Council, the Agricultural Research Council and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, respectively, in the pre-war quinquennium and the financial years, 1940–44; and how much of the money expended by each was spent in England and in Scotland respectively.
§ Mr. AttleeThe figures asked for are furnished below. I am afraid that in the case of the Medical Research Council and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research separate accounts are not kept of the proportion of the sums expended in Scotland, and in view of the time and labour required to obtain the figures I hope the hon. Member will not press for them.
Following are the figures referred to:
824W
For financial years 1935–1939. £ Medical Research Council 970,364 Agricultural Research Council 283,571 Department of Scientific and Indus-trial Research. Gross expenditure £4,387,500. Net £3,127,990
For financial years 1940–1944 (1944–45 Revised Estimates). £ Medical Research Council 1,328,606 Agricultural Research Council 664,644 Department of Scientific and Indus-trial Research Gross expenditure £5,900,405. Net £3,505,783 In the case of the Agriculture Research Council these figures are additional to the expenditure on the maintenance of the Agricultural Research Institutes which is borne on the Votes of the Agricultural Departments and which amounts to a very much larger sum.
The Agricultural Research Council is responsible for the co-ordination of agricultural research in Great Britain as a whole and arrangements are made for work to he carried out at the most appropriate Scientific Centre irrespective of National boundaries. It may, however, be stated that, excluding administrative costs, the cost of the Council's Field Station and the salaries and expenses of scientific staff directly employed by the Council, the following sums were granted to Institutions in England and Wales and in Scotland during the above periods:
Financial years. England and Wales. Scotland. £ £ 1935–39 … 36,615 5,210 1940–44 … 213,500 19,680 (1944 estimated expenditure)