§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what initiatives his Department has taken since 1 May 1997 to support the engineering profession in the United Kingdom. [70703]
§ Mr. BattleMy Department has today agreed to provide funding of up to £175,000 p.a. for three years, with the possibility of support for a further two years thereafter subject to satisfactory progress, towards support for the promotion of engineering. This includes up to £425,000 p.a. specifically for the work being planned by Quinco, subject to individual projects satisfying my Department's approval procedures. The largest single item in the Quinco allocation is a sum of £250,000 p.a. towards the Engineering Image Campaign on which the Engineering Council has been working in partnership with EEF and EMTA. £75,000 p.a. is being set aside for existing projects established under the Action for Engineering initiative, of which the most notable of these is the Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics Network (SETNET).
I have also agreed today to provide £34,000 to the Engineering Council towards the costs of producing an updated version of their Environmental Guidelines for Engineers, which highlight the importance of sustainable development.
Since 1 May 1997, the Department has also provided funding for the Women Into Science and Engineering (WISE) Outlook Initiative Programme (£35,000).
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