§ 43. Mrs. Joyce Butlerasked the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the microbiological research undertaken at Porton Down is for defence purposes.
§ Mr. Mason:The Microbiological Research Establishment at Porton Down is a defence establishment concerned primarily with defence work. However, the problems of microbiological diseases are the same whether they are disseminated by man or by nature and to that extent all the work at M.R.E. has civil significance. Much of the work attributable to defence is eventually published; last year the amount was over 90 per cent. The establishment is, however, progressively undertaking on repayment more projects of exclusively civil interest.