§ Sir G. Sinclairasked the Minister of Overseas Development whether she is aware of the wide range of scientific and technical services available from the independent laboratories which are members of the Association of Consulting Scientists; to what extent her Department already uses these services to supplement British technical assistance to developing countries; and whether she proposes, in future, to make greater use of such services.
§ Mr. OramYes: my Department is aware of the services available from members of this Association.
Normally requests received from developing countries for advice or assistance on scientific problems are dealt with by my scientific and professional advisers or by the scientific and technical organisations associated with the Ministry. My Department also has arrangements for obtaining assistance from other Government Departments, the research councils and universities. There have been some contacts with members of the Association of Consulting Scientists and the possibility of making use of their facilities will be borne in mind.