§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether research and development investment is included in the Defence Estimates and, if so, where; whether patents etc. have been or are being taken out; and what control have Her Majesty's Government over the transfer of these technologies, over the uses to be made of them, and over subsequent commercial exploitation.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Henley)Details of expenditure on both defence research and development are set out on page 59 of theStatement on the Defence Estimates 1995, Stable Forces in a Strong Britain (Cm 2800), copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. Further information on defence research in particular can be found in paragraphs 439 to 442, together with an article on the defence contribution to the Government's wealth creation initiative. My department takes out patents on new technologies developed in its research establishments, where appropriate. Licences, of which there are at present more than 350, may be granted to companies in the civil sector which wish to exploit such technologies for commercial gain. Inter alia, licences can contain conditions covering period, sub licences and competition. It is our policy that licences should not normally stipulate how technologies thus transferred to the civil sector should be exploited.