§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the current dispute at the Social Science Research Council.
§ Mr. William SheltonNo. This is a matter for the council and the trade unions concerned.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy on the location of the head office of the Social Science Research Council.
§ Mr. William SheltonIn the report of his inquiry into the Social Science Research Council published last year, Lord Rothschild recommended that the relocation of the council's Head Office to Swindon should be examined as a matter of urgency. The council has been giving consideration to this recommendation, in consultation with the Department. Formally it is for the council to formulate any proposal for a move; I understand that it has recently informed staff that a move before autumn 1984 is unlikely.
§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the reasons for the cut in the budget over the period 1983–86 of the Social Science Research Council.
§ Mr. William SheltonThey are set out in my right hon. Friend's letter of 14 October 1982 to the chairman of the council, which was published in theOfficial Report on 18 October 1982.—[Vol. 29, c. 38.]