§ Mr. Lubbockasked the Minister of Technology if he will make a statement on the Jost Report.
§ Mr. BennYes. In December, 1964, at the invitation of my noble Friend the former Minister of State for Education402W and Science, a Working Group was formed under the Chairmanship of Mr. H. Peter Jost with the following terms of reference:
To investigate on an informal basis the present state of lubrication education and research and to give an opinion on the needs of industry in respect thereof".My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science and I have now considered the recommendations contained in the Working Group's Report which was published earlier this year. We are satisfied that there is considerable scope for savings in this field and we accept the Working Group's recommendations in principle as useful indications of ways in which the needs of industry might be met. My right hon. Friend has drawn the attention of the educational authorities concerned, and the appropriate Training Boards, to the recommendations in the Report which are of interest to them.
In accordance with the Report's recommendations I propose to set up a Committee on Tribology, a word which the Working Group has used to cover lubrication and bearing technology and associated fields. It will include members from industry, the universities and professional institutions, as well as from the government departments and other agencies chiefly concerned. The functions of the Committee will be to advise me on how the objectives of the Report can be most effectively pursued. The Committee will also be able to advise government departments and other bodies as requested. In particular, I will ask the Committee as a matter of priority to consider whether the use in industry of the latest technologies and best designs can be most successfully fostered by the establishment of one or more Institutes of Tribology or by other means.