HC Deb 15 January 1991 vol 183 c468W
Mr. Michael Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Research Council on 21 December 1990.

Mr. Leigh

My noble Friend the Minister for Industry represented Her Majesty's Government at the meeting of the Council of Ministers (Research) in Brussels on 21 December.

The Council agreed common positions on three specific programmes under the third framework programme for R and D 1990–94: "Environment, Telematics, and Marine Sciences and Technologies". It approved in principle the specific programme of life sciences and technologies for developing countries while asking the Committee of Permanent Representatives—COREPER—to consider further the technical annex of the programme. COREPER was also asked to examine the following programmes with a view to the possible adoption of common positions early in 1991: information technologies, communication technologies, industrial and materials technologies, and biomedicine and health.