§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence whether he will undertake a review in the light of the work of the Select Committee on Science and Technology of the cost-effectiveness of the £99 million to be spent in 1971–72 on aircraft research, the £49 million on guided weapons resarch, the £1 million on satellite communications, the £41 million on electronics weapons research, the £23 million on ship construction, 365W naval weapons and equipment research, the £32 million on ordnance and other army research; and what plans he has to introduce a mechanism of shrinkage of such research.
§ Lord BalnielNo. Adequate machinery already exists for the control of the defence research and development programme.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will define the nature of £19 million spent under the category of other research and development in the Defence Estimates.
§ Lord BalnielThis category includes numerous miscellaneous items which fall outside the specific headings in the functional breakdown. It is not the practice to reveal the cost of individual items.