asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total of grants which have been allocated to Queen's University, Belfast, and the New University, Coleraine, for research by Government Departments for the most recent financial year; and what proportion these totals form the total expenditure on research at universities throughout the United Kingdom.

Grants for research from Government Departments—including research councils and the Northern Ireland Government—to the universities in Northern Ireland during the academic year 1969–70 were as follows:—

		Per cent of total
Queen's University, Belfast	346,000	1·6
New University of Ulster, Coleraine	21,000	0·1
All United Kingdom Universities	21,146,000	100

Taking research grants and contracts from all sources, these universities together received about 1·6 per cent. of the United Kingdom total.Universities spend substantially more on research financed from general income—including Exchequer recurrent grants—than they do on research financed from the specific research grants and contracts referred to above, but no detailed costings are available.