HC Deb 21 July 1930 vol 241 cc1759-60W
Mr. MANDER

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what grants have been made for research work for those engaged in producing oil from British substances; and what funds are available for the purpose?

Mr. SHINWELL

I have been asked to reply. Grants for industrial research are made from the funds voted for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The net sum included in the Parliamentary Estimates of that Department for the current year for fuel research is £86,803. The average net annual expenditure of the Department on fuel research during the last five years was £83,000. Most of the investigations carried out are of more or less direct interest to those engaged in producing oil from coal. It is impossible to separate the costs of the various items on the programme, as these interlock, but large sums have been spent on research and experiments dealing with the low temperature carbonisation of coal, and in testing commercial plants. The results have been made available in the fuel research reports isued by the Department. In addition, the Government have guaranteed the principal and interest on a loan of £100,000 for an experiment on a low temperature carbonisation process on a commercial scale at Richmond by a subsidiary of the Gas Light and Coke Company. As regards hydrogenation, the technical possibility of converting coal to oil by the Bergius process has been proved, and, partly as a result of financial assistance rendered by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the results of much of the work done by Dr. Bergius have been made available to this country. Work is continuing at the fuel research station, and a small grant is also being made to the British Colliery Owners' Research Association to meet half the cost of a programme of research which the association is undertaking. Grants amounting to £7,500 have in the past been made to the Scottish Shale Oil Scientific and Industrial Research Association.