§ Mr. Donald AndersonTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the proposed national science week; and what contribution he will make to it.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe national week of science, engineering and technology—"SET7"—will begin on Friday 18 March 1994. It is being organised, with Government funding, by the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and will involve over 1,000 events taking place in some 230 towns and cities nationwide. SET7 will, I am confident, make a significant impact by promoting a better appreciation among the general public of the invaluable contribution that science, engineering and technology make to our well-being as a nation.
My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State and I will be doing our best to get to as many events as possible during SET7. Among other things, I will be opening the week at the natural history museum on the Friday morning; I will also deliver the Friday evening discourse at the Royal Institution; my family and I will be visiting the Bristol Exploratory on Saturday; on Monday, I will be opening the new science line telephone answering service at Channel 4's headquarters; on Wednesday, I shall be attending a Royal Society of Chemistry presentation ceremony at the House of Commons; and on Friday 25 March, I will be holding a breakfast briefing on the week in the House. I will also, of course, be doing a number of radio and television interviews.