§ 50. Colonel Ropnerasked the Lord President of the Council whether he will make arrangements for information about the activities of the Agricultural Research 29W Council to be made more frequently available to those concerned with its work; and whether he will appoint a public relations officer to deal with the work of this council and other research bodies under his control.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonWartime difficulties naturally restricted the extent to which information about the activities of the Agricultural Research Council could be disseminated generally, though, as the hon. and gallant Member will, no doubt, be aware, the publication "Agricultural Research in Great Britain," was issued in 1943 and has since been reprinted, while the results of individual pieces of research continued to be published. The council now have in hand the publication as soon as possible of a report which will include reference to the work of the war years, as well as to that of the past year, and subsequently of an annual report instead of a biennial one as before the war. Every opportunity is also taken to make the practical results of agricultural research work known to a wider public through the Agricultural Departments, their advisory services and their agricultural improvement councils.
As regards the other research councils, the Medical Research Council are able to supplement their own arrangements with help from the Health Departments, while the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research already have an information and intelligence division. In all the circumstances, the question of an officer jointly responsible to the three councils hardly arises.