§ 91. Sir A. Hurdasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science why the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has granted £250,000 for the building of a nuclear reactor for research and training at the Imperial College field station near Virginia Water, in view of the offer made by Associated Electrical Industries to provide the required facilities at the Merlin research reactor recently built at Aldermaston Court only 25 miles distant, and in view of the fact that an experienced team of 40 scientists and assistants will now be disbanded and Merlin closed down.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethThe offer by A.E.I. to give their Merlin Reactor to Her Majesty's Government was much appreciated and was carefully considered. The offer was declined only after a thorough investigation by a specially appointed committee showed that Merlin was not a suitable type of reactor for the research and training needs of London University. Moreover, because it was designed to run at much higher power than the University needs, it would have been much more expensive to run.