HC Deb 06 December 1989 vol 163 c227W
Mr. Pawsey

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has received the annual report of the Economic and Social Research Council for 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Macgregor

The annual report of the Economic and Social Research Council has been submitted to me under the requirements of the Science and Technology Act 1965, and a copy is being laid before the House today.

I was most interested to read about the council's achievements in a challenging year in which its headquarters moved to Swindon. I was particularly interested to note:

  1. (a) the continued good progress in improving the communication of its research to a wider audience;
  2. (b) the establishment of interdisciplinary research centres in micro social change at the university of Essex and in human communication at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow; and
  3. (c) the priority given by the council to improved training in research methods.

I congratulate the council on these and its many other achievements and anticipate reading of further progress in next year's report.