§ 45. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Prime Minister how much Britain has spent during the last five years in developing nuclear scientific processes; and if he will issue a White Paper stating what those processes are, and in what way each of them, respectively, has added to Britain's industrial strength and to Britain's defences.
§ Mr. MaudlingI have been asked to reply.
For the five years up to 31st March, 1958, the gross expenditure on atomic energy authorised by Parliament amounts to a total of about £340 million, exclusive of certain sums not disclosed for security reasons. This excludes expenditure on their own account by industry and the universities, for which no details are available, and expenditure on the civil nuclear power programme which, up to 31st March, 1958, is expected to be about £25 million.
As much information is already published in the Annual Reports of the Atomic Energy Authority and elsewhere, I do not consider that a White Paper would be justified.