HL Deb 21 June 1973 vol 343 cc1573-4WA
LORD MERRIVALE

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In view of the terms of the preamble to the Anglo-Greek Cultural Convention (Cmnd. 8418):

  1. (a)What interchange of students or other persons (under Article 3) is contemplated in the near future; and
  2. (b)Whether they will use their best endeavours (under Article 5) to ensure an increase in exchanges between our two countries as a part of our European Science Exchange Programme.

BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE

  1. (a)There is no formal exchange programme with Greece but it is expected that exchanges in all fields will continue at approximately the existing level. 1574 Exchanges of visits between Britain and Greece under schemes handled by the British Council, designated under Article 16 of the Cultural Convention as Her Majesty's Government's principal agent for the execution of measures falling within the scone of the Convention, totalled 163 in 1971/2 and 211 in 1972-3. Moreover many visits take place without official help.
  2. (b)Of the totals given above, 54 in 1971-2 and 83 in 1972-3 were in scientific subjects. A considerable proportion of the Council's programme of specialist visits to Greece is in this field.

Greece has been included in the Royal Society's European Science Exchange Programme since 1972. In that year, there were seven visits. There have been five visits so far in 1973 and it is hoped that the number may increase slightly in future.