§ 56. Mr. WolfsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the latest developments in horticultural research.
§ 64. Mr. BoswellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what contribution his Department is currently making towards agricultural research.
§ Mr. CurryMy Department continues to make a substantial contribution towards research of relevance to agriculture, horticulture and protection of the rural environment. This year (1990–91) alone we plan to spend some £80 million, out of a total R and D budget of some £121 million. Details of my Department's activities, including a full list of MAFF-funded research projects in agriculture and food, were made available at the MAFF conference, "Effective R and D: a partnership for the 1990s", on 4 June. I am placing copies of these publications in the Library of the House.
In addition, my Department maintains close links with the other agricultural Departments, research councils and associations and other bodies on the development of research programmes in this country.
§ 57. Mrs. RoeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on recent developments in the structure of horticultural research.
§ Mr. CurryI am delighted at the recent launch of the British Society for Horticultural Research. We now have a single, unified organisation capable of taking horticultural R and D well into the next century.