§ Mr. J. H. Osbornasked the Minister of Technology if he will tabulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the value of exports, the value of imports and the value of Government support for research and development in each of the last three years for aircraft, aircraft engines, nuclear power plant and machine tools, respectively.
§ Mr. Harold LeverThe table below gives details of the recorded value of 39W imports and exports for each of the three years 1966 to 1968:
£ million Imports Exports (including re-exports) 1966 1967 1968 1966 1967 1968 Aircraft, including parts … 24.3 66.7 175.3 134.1 102.9 138.8 Aircraft engines, including parts … 32.8 42.5 65.7 83.0 101.6 160.0 Metal-working machine tools … 39.2 54.0 46.2 43.9 46.8 61.2 Nuclear reactors … 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.6 2.3 1.4 Source: Overseas Trade Accounts.
Statistics of research and development in industry with funds from Government sources have only been collected on an annual basis since 1966–67. Figures are available for the years 1964–65 and 1966–67 but those for 1967–68 are not yet ready for publication.
These statistics are classified according to product groups. They generally correspond quite closely to industry groups since a high proportion of the output of a particular product usually comes from a single industry group. Nuclear power plant, however, is not a separate heading in the Standard Industrial Classification; it is included in the product group "industrial plant and machinery". It is not possible therefore to isolate expenditure on this item. Similarly expenditure on machine tools for the year 1964–65 is included under the heading "mechanical engineering".
SPENT BY ALL SECTORS* OF INDUSTRY WITH FUNDS FROM GOVERNMENT SOURCES £ million Aerospace Machine tools Industrial plant and steelwork 1964–65 116.6 n.a. n.a. 1966–67 136.4 0.6 1.5 * Includes private industry, public corporations and research associations. Source: Statistics of Science and Technology.
Figures of spending on civil nuclear research and development were given in a Written Answer on 26th February, 1969. They were:
£ million 1966–67 69½ 1967–68 58½ 1968–69 (estimate) 55 —[Vol. 778, c. 303–4.]