HC Deb 02 April 1996 vol 275 cc144-5W
Ms Rachel Squire

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action has been taken to establish new university-linked applied research schemes for dual-use and civil aerospace technology requirements since the 1995 report from the technology foresight panel. [23693]

Mr. Eggar

A joint working forum on civil and defence collaboration in science and technology—the "civil/defence forum"—was established in June 1995, involving officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Office of Science and Technology to improve the co-ordination of dual-use civil and defence science and technology. The forum has been investigating mechanisms and potential areas for collaboration—the latter being based on technology foresight outputs—involving participants from academia, industry and defence.

Ms Squire

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action has been taken to develop a national strategy for aerospace technology since the 1995 report from the technology foresight panel. [23689]

Mr. Eggar

My Department is continuing its partnership with industry to maintain a common approach to the recommendations of the defence and aerospace panel of technology foresight. The panel is continuing its work with the full support of my Department. As part of this process, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade met the Society of British Aerospace Companies and they subsequently met me and the Government's chief scientific adviser. Also, under a joint DTI-SBAC initiative, co-ordinators have been consulting DTI and industry to determine civil aircraft research and demonstration programme priorities in discrete technology areas, addressing the long-term competitive needs of the industry.

Ms Squire

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action has been taken to support collaboration between the Civil Aviation Authority, industry and academics to maximise market opportunities arising for European programmes. [23686]

Mr. Eggar

There are a number of programmes supporting work in air traffic management and aviation safety that are of interest to the Civil Aviation Authority. These are run by European bodies such as the European Civil Aviation Conference, the European Commission and Eurocontrol. They are concerned with longer-term research and as such are some distance away from market exploitation. My Department maintains a dialogue with the CAA and its parent Department, the Department of Transport, on research and other related issues.

Ms Squire

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what increase in funding has been made for industrial applied research in civil aerospace through the civil aircraft research and demonstration scheme since the 1995 report from the technology foresight panel. [23694]

Mr. Eggar

The civil aircraft research and demonstration programme supports research in aeronautics rather than space. There has been no increase in funding for industrial applied research in civil aeronautics through CARAD since the 1995 report for the technology foresight panel—published in April 1995.

Ms Squire

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what increase in funding has been made for technology demonstrator programmes for civil aerospace since the 1995 report from the technology foresight panel. [23696]

Mr. Eggar

There has been no increase in funding for civil technology demonstrator programmes since the 1995 report for the technology foresight panel—published in April 1995.