§ Mr. Albuasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will now take steps by way of civil development contracts, or otherwise, to ensure the future continuance in being of the research and development team at present engaged on the Blue Water missile, in view of the possibility that there may no longer be a military requirement for it.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethThe Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has announced its willingness to consider, on their merits, proposals for the support of civil research and development projects. It is open to any firm to make proposals. Projects of this kind are, however, unlikely to receive support from public funds unless, in the judgment of the D.S.I.R., they offer a prospect of an important technological advance, which would be of value to the country as a whole, and involve an element of uncertainty which makes it unreasonable to expect the project to be undertaken on a purely commercial basis.