§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the total research and development budget of his Department in the current year; what proportion is taken up by nuclear power; and what proportion is allocated to wind, wave and solar energy, respectively.
§ Mr. EadieMy Department's estimated research and development expenditure for the current year 1977–78, including provision for the UKAEA, amounts to about £147 million net, of which about £128 million is related to nuclear power. This does not include the R & D expenditure of the nationalised energy industries which totals about £102 million. My Department's Vote allocations include the following provisions for R & D:
1977–78 £ million Non-nuclear 19 Nuclear other than UKAEA 9 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (including fusion and underlying research etc.) 119 147 Allocations to research on renewable energy sources have been made on a programme basis; programmes announced to date for wave, solar, geothermal, and wind energy total nearly £10 million. The Department's estimates for 1977–78 provide for about £2½ million on renewable sources but these programmes are in their early stages and expenditure on renewable sources of 907W energy is expected to increase considerably over the next few years.