677
Written
[19 JULY 1976]
[Lord Jacques.] Government at the Tripartite Conference which was held on 24th June 1976 under the chairmanship of M. Raymond Vouel, the then President of the EEC Council of Ministers. It was attended by Ministers of Economic Affairs and Labour and by representatives of organisations of unions. and employers in Community countries. The theme of the Conference was the restoration of full employment and stab- ility in the Community and it provided a useful opportunity for Governments to discuss with both sides of industry the major economic and social problems facing the Community. At the end of the Conference a joint statement was adopted with agreement by all parties; I am arranging for a copy of this statement to be available in the Library of the House.
EEC RESEARCH PROGRAMME
Lord IRONSIDE asked Her Majesty's Government:
(1) how much of the Community budget has the Commission of the European Communities allocated to research in each year since the accession of the United Kingdom;
(2) what proportion of these funds has been spent in the United Kingdom in each of these years;
(3) how such funds have been al- located in the United Kingdom between the public and private sector during this period.
Lord JACQUES: The main Community research programme is funded from Chapter 33 of the Community budget,
Answers
678
but several small research programmes are financed from other parts of the budget. The provision for research in the Com- munity budget in the years 1973 to 1976 has been:
Chapter 33
1973
£ million
1974
1975 1976
Joint Research Centre Fusion
19.9
20.2
25.6
29.9
4-8
8-8
8.6
8.7
Other Research pro-
grammes Agricultural Research
4-8
4.3
6.6
11-0
1-3
TOTAL
29.5
32.3
40-8
50-9
Finance for the Joint Research Centre is not available to support research in the Member States. On fusion the proportion of funds spent in the United Kingdom has been in the region of 20 per cent. each year. United Kingdom contractors fared less well on other research programmes in the early years, but are now attracting 10 to 20 per cent. of the money available for contracts in most cases. Precise figures are not avail- able because the Commission are res- ponsible for the management of pro- grammes, including the negotiation of contracts, and they do not publish this information.
Allocation of funds between the public and private sector varies according to the programme. For example, the whole of the fusion programme is within the public sector, whereas work on textile research is carried out wholly within the private sector. Some other programmes have attracted both private and public sector participation, but sufficient information is not available to give a breakdown.
House adjourned at two minutes past eleven o'clock.
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