Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (Hansard, 22 May 1996)

§ Mr. Lang

I announced to the House on 17 November 1995,Official Report, column 10, that the Daresbury and Rutherford Appleton laboratories, which together form the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils, were to be the subject of a prior options review.

The review found that the functions performed by the CLRC are needed and that it should remain in the public sector as a non-departmental public body of the Department of Trade and Industry, through the Office of Science and Technology. The Government are content to proceed on this basis while asking that further work on the involvement of the private sector should be carried out as described later. I am also satisfied that the current arrangements, whereby CLRC obtains the great majority of its income from competitively won contracts and service level agreements, bring suitable market forces to bear on it and that these should continue.

The Government have agreed with the recommendations of the steering committee for the review that the laboratory should work to achieve further reductions in its overhead costs, and that work should be done to put in place a sound, longer-term planning model between CLRC and its research council customers. In addition, I have agreed that the CLRC should be set targets for broadening its customer base, and that further work should be carried out to identify and overcome, where appropriate, any barriers to greater private sector involvement with the laboratory, and on potential private sector interest in operating the establishment. These matters will be investigated by my Department.

I believe that these steps will enable the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils to build upon the success of the first year of its existence and will ensure that it remains well placed to contribute fully to the science and engineering base of the UK.