§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list all the schemes that his Department is currently sponsoring to encourage the use of new technology in industry; how much is involved in each case; and how much has been committed in each case in the current financial year.
§ Mr. Kenneth Baker[pursuant to the reply, 2 March 1982, c. 92.]: The Department's support for the use of new technology in industry is provided mainly under the Science and Technology Act 1965 presently through its requirements boards, the product and process development scheme and other schemes specific to particular activities such as the microprocessor application project.
Allocations for this industrial support are made to particular technological activities from the Department's budget for scientific and technological assistance and are adjusted according to the take-up of support, emerging priorities and total funds available. Allocations of such support in 1981–82 and over the following three years are made up of:
Allocations £ million* Activities 1981–82 1982–83 to 1984–85 1. Development and application of information technology 19 95 2. Improved production techniques† 18 73 3. Materials and processing technology 12 40 4. Vehicles technology 8 32 5. Fibre optics and opto-electronics‡ 1 15 6. Advanced instrumentation and control 4 18 7. Microprocessor application project (Map║) 12 27 8. Various other activities (including technology transfer, standards, design, maritime technology, biotechnology, etc.) 43 110 TOTALS 117 410 Notes: * Information is not readily available about commitments (i.e., expenditure committed through offers made) entered into in the current financial year. † Support for improved production techniques includes: (i)support for industrial robots announced as a £10 million scheme: £1.3 million expenditure has been committed to date; (ii)support under the CAD/CAM £6 million awareness scheme which was launched in October 1981; an (iii)the £9 million CADMAT scheme announced on 24 February 1982. ‡ Support for fibre-optics and opto-electronics was announced as a £25 million scheme: about £17 million expenditure has been committed to date. ║ Support for microprocessor applications was originally announced as a £55 million project in 1978: £40 million expenditure has been committed or approved to date. The Department's support for investment projects under the Industry Act 1972 will also include a significant element of support for the use of new technology in industry, but it is not possible to quantify that element. Support under the Industry Act 1972 includes the bulk of support under the micro-electronics industry support programme (MISP) which is another £55 million programme that commenced in 1978. About £44 million expenditure has been committed, or approved, against this programme to date.