§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ensure that no changes to the grant support payments made to the plant breeding station at Aberystwyth which could jeopardise its future.
§ Mr. Michael RobertsThe Welsh plant breeding station is funded by the Agricultural Research Council and the level of support to all its establishments is entirely the ARC's responsibility.
The ARC must be allowed to determine its own priorities within its own financial limits, and we would not seek to influence its decisions. I understand in fact that the WPBS provisional grant for 1983–84 shows a small increase on that for the current year.