§ Mr. Tebbitasked the Secretary of State for Energy what is the total sum expended from his Department's Vote upon science and technology; in what ways it is allocated; and how he ensures that such sums are spent wisely.
§ Mr. EadieThe Department's expenditure on research and development is shown in the "Report on research and development" which is published562W annually. The Report for 1975–76 showed:
£m 1. Gas Standards 0.1 2. Offshore oil and gas technology 6.4 3. New sources, conservation, R & D strategy (a) Energy Technology Support Unit 0.4 (b) Other domestic non-nuclear contracts 0.1 4. International non-nuclear projects under the wing of the International Energy Agency 0.1 5. Nuclear R and D other than UKAEA (a) Tripartite Gas Centrifuge Collaboration 15.2 (b) Euratom Complimentary Programme 0.3 22.6 6. UKAEA (a) Authority R & D 96.3 (b) Design and development contracts with industry 7.6 126.5 This expenditure is from the Department's Votes alone. There is also additional public sector energy R & D expenditure, totalling approximately £80 million in 1975–76 by the nationalised fuel and power industries and other Government Departments.
To ensure that the money shown in the table is spent wisely there is general oversight by the Department and discussion in our advisory boards, the Offshore Energy Technology Board, the Advisory Council on Research and Development for Fuel and Power and the Chief Scientist's Committee on Energy R & D and its various steering committees as well as in the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.