§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he has plans to improve access by United Kingdom industry to accumulating scientific and technical knowledge.
§ Mr. KaufmanYes. The Department of Industry is to participate jointly with the British Library, the Chemical Society and the Institution of Electrical Engineers in forming a company to develop and operate "on-line" computer-based search services on scientific and technical information files. Parliamentary approval for loans to this company by the Department will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the General Industrial Research and Development Vote, Class IV, Vote 3. Pending that approval, any necessary expenditure within a ceiling of £20,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund. The expenditure envisaged in 1976–77 will be contained within the existing provision in Supply Estimates and also within the cash limits set for the current year under Block DI 2.