§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what savings are anticipated from the proposed closure of the Weed Research Organisation, Oxford.
§ Mr. BrookeThe Agricultural and Food Research Council's corporate plan indicates that work at the Weed Research Organisation, Long Ashton research station and the Rothamsted experimental station on strategic aspects of crop protection and on applied aspects of plant pathology, zoology, weed science and spray application will be reviewed to achieve scientific benefits and annual savings of recurrent expenditure of about £1.4 million by 1986–87. The work in this field which is to be continued will be consolidated at a new arable crops institute based at Long Ashton and the Weed Research Organisation's laboratories will be relinquished. It is not possible to identify, within the estimated savings figure just given, precisely how much is attributable to the proposed closure of the Weed Research Organisation.