Dr. John CunninghamTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of gross domestic product was devoted to the public funding of university research in(a) Britain, (b) the USA and (c) France from 1981 to 1992; and what are the corresponding figures for each country for annual percentage growth in real GDP.
Mr. Robert G. HughesThe information requested is shown in the following table.
International comparisons of expenditure on higher education research are of questionable significance, because of the large structural differences in the make-up of this sector between countries.
Mr. Robert G. HughesMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has already consulted on a draft code of openness for the national health service, the final version of which will be published during 1995. One of the stated aims of the code is to provide people with an explanation of service changes in the NHS and give 299W them the opportunity to influence decisions on such changes.
The Government remain committed to the principles of transparency and openness laid down in the White Paper on open government. We are currently preparing a report for Parliament on Departments' experience of the first nine months of operation of the code of practice on access to Government information. This will help us to assess its impact.