§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will detail the several areas of technology in which the United Kingdom has played the leading role in the past decade, indicating the innovative skills and the enterprises involved.
§ Mr. ButcherIt is not practicable to attempt to provide an exhaustive list, but the following are examples of areas of technology in which United Kingdom scientists and engineers, and enterprises, have played leading roles during the last decade:
- Offshore oil and gas recovery in deep water (BP).
- Communications satellites (British Aerospace).
- Liquid crystals (Royal Signals and Radar Establishment).
- Nuclear fuel manufacture and reprocessing (BNFL).
- Radioisotopes (Amersham International).
- Viewdata—Prestel and Teletext (BT, BBC, ITV, Mullard).
- Biotechnology: monoclonal antibodies (MRC Cambridge, Celltech) and synthetic proteins (ICI, Dytes).
- Fluidised bed combustion (many companies).
- Synthethic pyrethroid insecticides (Rothamsted Experimental Station).
- Microcomputers for schools and homes (Acorn, Sinclair)