§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their intentions regarding the Marine Technology Directorate.
§ The Earl of SwintonThe Marine Technology Directorate is a component part of the Science & Engineering Research Council (SERC), which is grant-aided by the Department of Education and Science. It has provided the main focus for the stimulation and co-ordination of a major programme of research and development in marine technology in universities and polytechnics over the last eight years. I understand that, as part of the council's policy for dealing with such directorates, discussions are now under way with a view to establishing the directorate outside the SERC under the aegis of the Fellowship of Engineering; and that possible contributors to the support of the1148WA directorate over the next three years include a number of government departments and major industrial companies. The programme of research into marine technology at present funded by SERC will continue and will be augmented by the growing involvement of parallel government and industrial funding; this enlarged programme will be co-ordinated by the newly established Marine Technology Directorate.