§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he has had with the Medical Research Council on its research programme; and how he expects the research programme to be affected by the cut in the grant to the Medical Research Council.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe Advisory Board for the Research Councils—ABRC—advises my right hon. and learned Friend on the distribution of the science budget after considering the forward plans of the research councils and other bodies financed from the science budget, and in conjunction with them. The medical research council, like the other research councils, is free to deploy the funds thus provided amongst its research programmes.