§ 21. Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Industry what is the total planned expenditure by his Department on the sponsorship of the computer industry in 1979.
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Mr. Alan Williams:For projects already approved or under discussion, direct expenditure by the Department of Industry with companies for developments within the computer hardware and software sectors could reach some £3½ million in 1979–80. This is mainly for product development and work on supporting technology. The final spend will of course depend on the number of proposals put forward by industry in the coming months.
This figure does not include funds available or committed under the microelectronics industry support scheme—£70 million—and the microprocessor application project—£55 million—some of which will have an impact in the computer industry as will the recent decision by the NEB to set up its semi-conductor operation INMOS at a cost of some £50 million.