§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Prime Minister what proportion of the Government's total research and development outlays goes on military research and development; and how this compares over 10 years with research and development on basic research on space, energy, health, information, transport, pollution control, agriculture and other subjects.
§ The Prime MinisterThe latest published figures show that defence research and development accounted for about half of the total Government expenditure on research and development in 1977–78. The table below shows for, the ten year period to 1977–78 the proportion of expenditure on defence research and development compared with the total of such expenditure on agriculture, fisheries and forestry, aerospace, energy, environmental services (including transport), health and social security and on the Medical, the Natural Environment and the Science Research Councils, and on other Central Government research and development:
1968–69 45 per cent.
1969–70 43 per cent.
1970–71 43 per cent.
1971–72 43 per cent.
1972–73 46 per cent.
1973–74 46 per cent.
1974–75 46 per cent.
1975–76 48 per cent.
1976–77 50 per cent.
1977–78 (provisional) 52 per cent.