§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Industry what help he is giving to research into robot technology; and what he is doing to further the use of robots in industry.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldMy Department is taking an active interest in this important field and is sponsoring already a number of commercial research and development projects in addition to commissioning a substantial programme at one of my research establishments. A study on the current activities in robots both in the United Kingdom and in other countries has been commissioned. This should identify areas for support in the future.