Mr. Michael NcNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Industry what is Great Britain's contribution to the European Space Agency; and if he will make a statement about the British involvement.
§ Mr. KaufmanThe United Kingdom is contributing £24 million in 1975 towards the European Space Agency's total budget of £185 million. The United Kingdom, along with other ESA member States—Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland—participates in the agency in the belief that it is largely through collaborative endeavour that the countries of Europe are likely to obtain maximum value from their space research effort, and to develop really competitive space applications systems.