§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the benefits to the United Kingdom of the resources committed to the joint research centres and European Atomic Energy Community for research into radiation risk and protection since 1973.
§ Mr. Robert JacksonI have been asked to reply.
EC programmes on radiation protection research, in particular those funded by shared cost actions, have been of great scientific value to the United Kingdom. Research undertaken by the EC is helping to provide the scientific base for an objective assessment of the effects and risks of radiation from natural, medical and industrial sources, and has led to the development of methods to optimise radiation protection. Research within the United Kingdom has also benefited: work has been completed through EC programmes that would not have been possible for any one member state to conduct alone. The United Kingdom has consistently gained more in contracts than its share of the programmes' costs.