HL Deb 23 February 1971 vol 315 cc1052-4WA
THE EARL OF CORK AND ORRERY

asked Her Majesty's Government:

For the year 1969–70 or the latest year for which figures are available:

  1. (i) What was the total expenditure of each Research Association and what proportion of this expenditure was Government funded either by general grant or other means.
  2. (ii) The number of persons employed—graduate, professionally qualified and others—in each Research Association.
  3. (iii) The proportion of companies in each industry in membership of their Research Association and the proportion of the total turnover of their industry attributable to these companies.
  4. (iv) The proportion of turnover spent on Research and Development in each industry.

LORD DRUMALBYN

The table below gives the information required under part (i).

1969–70
Research Association Total Expenditure including depreciation Government Funds as percentage of Total Expenditure
£
Brush 13,417 43.7
Cast Iron 423,028 21.6
Ceramic 500,370 34.4
Coal 661,645 34.1
Coke 268,845 23.6
Construction Industry 538,846 48.9
Cotton 745,561 20.2
Cutlery 42,367 38.7
Drop Forging 83,368 40.9
Electrical 814,918 44.5
Flour Milling and Baking 307,330 30.5
Food 281,849 33.8
Fruit and Vegetable 80,455 34.3
Furniture 215,214 32.7
Gelatine and Glue 41,703 9.1
Glass 149,333 40.2
Heating and Ventilating 124,263 49.0
Hosiery* 187,010 21.4
Hydromechanics 260,990 36.3
Industrial Biology 199,727 66.6
Industrial Psychology 154,736 24.2
Lace 34,918 26.5
Lambeg Industrial 150,239 28.5

1969–70
Research Association Total Expenditure including depreciation Government Funds as percentage of Total Expenditure
£
Launderers 160,066 35.8
Leather 133,916 37.5
Machine Tool 212,427 48.1
Motor 559,245 18.5
Non Ferrous Metals 642,561 22.7
Paint 179,323 25.8
Pira† 473,918 23.6
Production Engineering 1,907,718 34.2
Rubber and Plastics 409,069 39.3
Scottish Textile 96,855 38.2
Sira Institute 570,391 52.7
Ship 1,167,015 36.7
Shoe 299,925 16.4
Spring 46,583 47.3
Steel Castings 195,085 40.0
Tar 165,712 24.1
Timber 291,173 28.1
Water 318,051 34.4
Welding Institute 1,013,054 44.0
Welwyn Hall‡ 82,738 33.6
Wool 437,816 25.3
SCCTR§ 94,122 50.1

* 15 months.

† The Research Association for the Paper and Board, Printing and Packaging Industries.

‡9 months.

§ Standing Consultative Conference on Textile Research.

The Research Associations are autonomous industrial organisations, and full statistics about their staff in the form required in part (ii) of the Question are not available, but the total number of persons employed on May 1, 1970, by the Research Associations now receiving Government grant was 5,657, of whom 1,579 were qualified scientists, engineers or technologists. Most of the annual reports of the Research Associations give some detailed information on staff.

As to part (iii), reliable figures for all the Research Associations are not readily available, but thirteen Research Associations are estimated to have over 90 per cent, by turnover of their main supporting industries in membership, and most Research Associations have over 70 per cent. in membership.

As regards part (iv), this information is not available, but the H.M.S.O. publication Statistics of Science and Technology 1970 presents statistics for the amount of research and development carried out by industry as classified on a broad basis.

House adjourned at four minutes before nine o'clock.