§ Mr. WarrenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total of the reduction in his Department's expenditure on research and development achieved by taking advantage of the additionality principle when grants have been awarded to United Kingdom companies by the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggIt is not possible to identify the specific impact of European Community support of United Kingdom companies under the various Framework programmes, on the applications for support received by the DTI. However, we ensure as far as possible that European programmes reflect the views of United Kingdom industry, and that they are complementary to national programmes and other international activities and continue to provide good value for money. It is up to companies themselves to judge which activities suit their needs best. Manufacturing industry is now receiving support for collaborative research and development from the Community comparable to that from the DTI, and it is likely that this trend will become more pronounced in future.