HC Deb 02 March 1978 vol 945 cc361-2W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will list the independent bodies such as polytechnics and universities which have been encouraged and assisted by the Government in any way, such as by research grants or other means, to make studies into energy strategy; and whether such bodies have freedom to publish in full their findings without amendment or control by the Government.

Mr. Benn

The bulk of Government aid to independent energy strategy research is administered by the science and social science research councils, which publish annual lists of the research projects supported, the institutions and research workers involved and the amounts committed. Current lists include 20 projects in the energy field at 11 universities and other institutions of learning, including polytechnics. These are the Universities of Birmingham, Bradford, Strathclyde, Surrey, Sussex and the Open University; also supported are the Camborne School of Mines, the Polytechnic of the South Bank and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. In addition, the Department of Energy has directly contributed funds in support of energy studies at the universities of Newcastle and Sussex. In order to strengthen the Department's analytical resources the energy technology support unit was set up at Harwell as an inter-disciplinary team. Some of their work is contracted out to universities, for example, the work on energy scenarios and their implications at the University of Aberdeen. Other Departments and the nationalised industries have also given financial support to energy studies in the universities. Unless access to classified information is involved—which would be rare in this field—there are generally no restrictions on freedom to publish. Where specific research projects are commissioned directly, permission to publish is not normally withheld.