§ Sir John Farrasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has about the number of robots employed in industry, in each of the last six years.
§ Mr. ButcherThe number of robots employed in industry, in each of the last six years, is as follows:
Year Number of robots in United Kingdom industry 1980 371 1981 713 1982 1,152 1983 1,753 1984 2,623 1985 3,208 1986 13,650 1 Estimated. Note: The figures for years 1980–85 have been taken from the British Robot Association annual surveys.
§ Sir John Farrasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list, as a percentage of the cost, grants available to industry from the Government, to purchase robots, in each of the last six years.
§ Mr. ButcherGrants have been available for the purchase of industrial robots for innovative applications for most of the last six years. The percentage grant towards the costs varied as follows:—
Per cent. 1981 to June 1982 25.00 June 1982 to August 1984 33.33 August 1984 to June 1986 20.00 Since June 1986, grants have no longer been available.