HC Deb 10 May 1988 vol 133 cc70-1W
Mr. Fearn

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has on(a) Government spending on all scientific research as a proportion of gross domestic product, (b) Government spending on defence research as a proportion of gross domestic product, (c) Government spending on non-defence research as a proportion of gross domestic product, (d) industrial funding on scientific research as a proportion of gross domestic product, (e) total funding on scientific research as a proportion of gross domestic product, and (f) Government spending on advancement of knowledge as a proportion of gross domestic product, in (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) the United States of America, (iii) France, (iv) West Germany and (v) Italy in the period 1979 to 1937.

Mr. Alan Clark

[holding answer 9 May 1988]: The available information is given in the tables.

United Kingdom United States of America France Federal Republic of Germany Italy
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
1980 0.66 0.57 0.71 1.04 0.45
1981 0.72 0.51 0.81 1.05 0.61
1982 0.70 0.45 0.85 1.11 0.61
1983 0.67 0.41 0.95 1.03 0.66
1984 0.66 0.40 0.97 1.00 0.69
1985 0.62 0.41 1.01 1.00 0.70
1986 20.62 0.39 1.03 0.96 0.77
1987 0.58 0.41 .. 0.97 0.67
Government spending on advancement of knowledge (included in non-defence R and D)
1979 0.33 0.05 0.25 0.49 0.12
1980 0.35 0.05 0.25 0.50 0.14
1981 0.29 0.04 0.22 0.49 0.18
1982 0.29 0.04 0.30 0.48 0.19
1983 0.29 0.04 0.37 0.50 0.17
1984 0.29 0.04 0.38 0.49 0.17
1985 0.23 0.05 0.38 0.49 0.19
1986 0.22 0.04 0.38 0.48 0.24
1987 0.22 0.05 0.49 0.28
Data not available

Source: OECD.

Note: See footnotes 1 and 2 of Table 2.

Table 2—Gross domestic expenditure on R and D1 as a percentage of the gross domestic product (gdp).
United Kingdom United States of America France Federal Republic of Germany Italy
Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent.
Total gross domestic exenditure on R and D
1981 2.42 2.45 2.01 2.45 1.01
1983 2.27 2.62 2.15 2.54 1.12
1985 2.33 2.83 2.31 2.66 1.33
1986 2.44 2.89 2.38 .. 1.47
Gross domestic expenditure funded by industry
1981 1.00 1.19 0.82 1.42 0.51
1983 0.96 1.30 0.89 1.50 0.51
1985 1.07 1.37 0.96 1.62 0.59
1986 21.21 1.39 .. .. 0.60
.. Data not available.
Source: OECD.
1 Separate figures are not available for scientific R and D.
2 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority moved from the government sector to the industry sector in 1986. This affected all government spending and non-defence government spending, as a percentage of gdp in 1986 and 1987. It also affected gross domestic expenditure on R and D funded by industry as a percentage of gdp in 1986.

Provisional estimate of these percentages without this change of sector allocation are given below:

1986 1987
All government spending 1.27 1.22
Government spending on non-defence R and D 0.65 0.62
Gross expdenditure on R industry and D funded by industry 1.14

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