PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH BODIES

HL Deb 26 July 1993 vol 548 c96WA

Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the commercialisation of (a) Warren Spring Laboratory; (b) the National Physical Laboratory; (c) the Laboratory of the Government Chemist; (d) the National Weights and Measures Laboratory; (e) the Transport Research Laboratory; and (f) NHS pathology laboratories, will result in greater professionalism, effectiveness and accuracy, and better motivation and objectivity.

Baroness Denton of Wakefield

The White Paper on a strategy for science, engineering and technology (Realising our Potential, Cm 2250, May 1993) reaffirmed the validity of applying a customer contractor relationship to the commissioning of public sector research. This has been of particular benefit to the delivery of services by many public sector research bodies who are now more customer focused. It is for the customer to decide the most efficient and effective way of obtaining these services.