§ Dr. Godmanasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for the years 1975 to 1985, respectively, the amount of money, expressed both as a total figure and as a percentage of total research awards made by his Department, allocated by his Department to universities or other research institutions for research into the following: 734W (a) the occupational health and safety of United Kingdom fishermen and (b) the safety of United Kingdom fishing vessels.
§ Mr. David MitchellStatistics are not readily available in the form requested: moreover, research into marine safety is in general applicable also to fishing vessels and fishermen. However, the approximate value of some research projects applicable to the fishing industry is as follows:
Year Research Cost £ 1975–78 Loss of the Gaul 65,000 1975, 1983 Buoyancy clothing 1,970 1979 Safety of gutting shelters 79,000 1978–81 Noise in fishing vessels 23,000 1979–84 Liferafts 104,000 1981–85 SAFESHIP (Survival in extreme seas) 800,000 1982 Navigation lights for fishing vessels 1,000 1983–84 Roll tests on fishing vessels 65,000 1983–85 Ship motion studies 202,000 The total funds spent by the Marine Directorate of the Department on research into marine safety and pollution control and prevention over the last six years was:
Year Amount £ million 1979–80 1.7 1980–81 1.9 1981–82 2.0 1982–83 2.334 1983–84 2.866 1984–85 *2.600 * Provisional. Estimated total expenditure on external research contracts by the Department of Transport was £9.8 million in 1984–85.