HC Deb 02 July 1984 vol 63 cc47-8W
Mr. Robert Atkins

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much higher education establishments spent in the latest year for which figures are available on scientific, analytical and medical instruments and computers.

Mr. Brooke

The latest available information about relevant spending by higher education establishments is as follows, but is not fully comprehensive:

  1. (i) Universities in Great Britain spent £78.3 million in the academic year 1982–83 on equipment of all sorts for teaching and research from equipment grant paid through the University Grants Committee, and a small amount of funds transferred from general income. No more detailed analysis is available.
  2. (ii) The capital cost of equipment purchased through the grants from Research Councils for research in universities in the United Kingdom totalled about £23 million in the financial year 1982–83.
  3. (iii) In the financial year 1983–84 Computer Board capital and recurrent support for central computing facilities for teaching and research at universities totalled some £32.5 million (14.5 million capital and £18 million recurrent).
  4. (iv) No information is available in the form requested for higher education outside the universities.