§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much the European Space Agency is spending on its scientific programme; what United Kingdom participation there is in it; and if Her Majesty's Government will take steps to expand the programme.
§ Mr. William SheltonThe European Space Agency has a budget of 102 million accounting units for its mandatory science programme—about £55 million at current exchange rates. The Government, through the Science and Engineering Research Council—SERC—pays about 14 per cent. of the above amount. This percentage, according to the agency's convention, is proportional to the United Kingdom's gross national product. In addition, the SERC pays a contribution to ESA's general budget-as does the Department of Industry-and supports university groups in this country to enable them to provide instruments for, and make use of, the agency's science missions.
Expansion of the agency's mandatory science programme would require the unanimous consent of all member States. While such expansion would enable more excellent science to be done, I understand that the SERC rightly has regard, first, to the scientific balance of its whole space programme and, secondly, to other calls on its overall budget.