§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the comparative figures for expenditure on civil research and development, as a percentage of their gross 465W national product, of the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden, for each year since 1974.
§ Mr. Maples[holding answer 7 May 1991]: Separate data for civil R and D expenditure by industry in the United Kingdom were collected for the first time in 1989. Provisional figures indicate that total civil R and D expenditure from all sources in 1989 represented 1.7 per cent. of gross domestic product. Standard international comparisons of R and D expenditure are usually given in terms of gross domestic product and not gross national product.