HC Deb 07 March 1968 vol 760 cc149-50W
Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what he is doing to encourage scientific research in defence matters within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Mr. Mason

The United Kingdom is represented at the high level N.A.T.O. Conference of National Armaments Directors and its subordinate bodies, the Service Armaments and Defence Research Groups. This organisation fosters the exchange of technical and scientific information and the establishment of collaborative projects for research into, and the development and production of, specific items of equipment. The United Kingdom also plays a full part in other research centres and groups such as the SHAPE Technical Centre, the SACLANT Anti-Submarine Warfare Research Centre, the Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development, and the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what he is doing to encourage scientific research in defence matters on a European basis.

Mr. Mason

In addition to cooperating with our European N.A.T.O. partners within the organisation of the Conference of National Armaments Directors, and other N.A.T.O. bodies, the United Kingdom is a member of bilateral steering committees for defence research and development (and of their subordinate working groups) with France, West Germany and Italy, and of a trilateral committee with Norway and Holland. The United Kingdom is also a member of the Standing Armaments Committee of Western European Union.

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