§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if the work of the new Energy Research Support Unit set up by the Science Research Council will duplicate the work of the Energy Technology Support Unit already at work at Harwell; what arrangements are being made for co-operation between these two bodies: and what steps are being taken to avoid waste of public funds through duplication of effort.
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§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe answer to the first part of the Question is "No". The Science Research Council's Energy Research Support Unit provides technical support for university research in the energy field, while the Energy Technology Support Unit at Harwell provides programme evaluations and policy advice for the Department of Energy. The two units have quite distinct rôles but there are frequent contacts between them; in particular, the head of the second unit is a member of the programme committee of the first unit. There should therefore be no duplication of effort.