HC Deb 23 July 1985 vol 83 cc497-8W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the numbers of undergraduate students at universities who have received financial support from his Department for their courses in each academic year since 1979–80; if he will give a breakdown of the academic faculties and the individual universities in which they studied; and what specific new awards he plans to introduce for students of science-related disciplines.

Mr. Butler

My Department is planning to increase substantially from the start of the coming academic year the number of sponsorships it offers to students reading for first degrees in engineering, scientific and related disciplines. Our student engineer scheme, through which we recruit most of our professional engineers, will have

Firms with up to 200 employees — approximately 10 per cent.

These percentages do not take account of the significant amount of work awarded to small firms on a sub-contract basis.