Public Sector Research Establishments

HC Deb 19 March 1996 vol 274 c109W

Mr. Connarty

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his policy towards public sector research establishments. [21259]

Mr. Ian Taylor

The Government set out their policy towards public sector research establishments in their response to the "Multi-departmental Scrutiny of Public Sector Research Establishments", published in September 1995, Cm 2991.

This initiated a programme of prior options reviews of establishments, to allow Ministers collectively to take a strategic view of the UK's public sector research establishments. Each review is addressing the relationship of the establishment concerned to others in similar or related fields and will consider, among other things, the potential for privatisation or rationalisation.

The results of these reviews will be considered by Ministers collectively, with the aim of completing the major part of the work by the end of 1996.