§ Mr. Dellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimated expenditure for 1971–72 on non-departmental research projects ; what requirements he imposes regarding publication and consultation before publication ; whether deletions or alterations have been required or permission to publish refused in respect of all or part of any project whose results were submitted to his Department during the last 10 years ; and to what extent he controls entry for research purposes to depart-mentally-controlled institutions.
§ Mr. MaudlingAbout £1¼ million.
Apart from reports on research designed for internal use, in general I welcome the publication of reports on research financed by the Home Office. Some grants are made under contracts containing a copyright clause ; and some on the condition that the Home Office will be consulted on the text of any proposed publication connected with the research, with opportunity to comment on, and ask for modifications of, any part of the text deriving from official resources and to ensure that nothing published is likely to lead to the identification of any individual or (where appropriate) of any institution.
As a matter of course the attention of research workers is drawn to any errors of fact and conclusions that are not substantiated. Sometimes amendments have been made before publication to meet Home Office points, but permission to publish has rarely been refused.
208WEntry for the purposes of research to institutions controlled by the Home Office is considered subject to operational needs, for well-qualified research workers who have submitted a satisfactory programme of research, on condition that the Home Office will be consulted on the text of any proposed publication. It is not restricted to those conducting research financed by the Department.