§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Technology (1) what information he has, from international sources or from studies connected with his sponsorship of the computer industry, about the number of computers in use in Switzerland; and how this compares with Wales, Scotland and England, respectively;
(2) how many computers, and of what capacity, there are in Wales; and how many there are in England.
§ Dr. BrayThe information asked for is not available from official sources, but "Computer Survey" estimates that the number of computers installed in March, 1967 was as follows:
England … … 1,993 Scotland … … 136 Wales … … 63 Northern Ireland … … 12 2,204 Of the computers in Wales, 6 were large (costing over £250,000) and 27 were medium sized (costing between £50,000 and £250,000).
As regards computers in use in Switzerland, the January issue of "Computers and Automation" reports that there were 380 in December, 1966.
§ Mr. Gwynfor Evansasked the Minister of Technology what steps are being taken to institute the manufacture of computers in Wales.
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§ Dr. BrayWhen any new factory is proposed for the manufacture of computers, all the forms of assistance available from the Board of Trade in development areas, including the Welsh development area, and the advantage of operating in these areas are drawn to the attention of the firm.