§ Mr. R. W. Elliottasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science whether he will take immediate steps to guide to the North-East the expansions to the electronics industry, following the decision to launch a British space satellite, in order to create in this region a new growth point of modern scientific application.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the third satellite in the Anglo-American cooperative programme of scientific space research. No contracts in respect of the construction of this satellite have been placed by the Minister of Aviation, but he will no doubt bear in mind the contribution which might be made by the North-East, subject to the overriding need to meet the rigorous requirements of technical reliability and the launching timetable.