asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the spending by Her Majesty's Government on research and development in industry for 1974, 1979 and the estimated spending for 1983.

Expenditure by the Department of Industry under the Science and Technology Act 1965 totalled £17 million in 1974–75. Expenditure is expected to rise in cash terms to about £53 million in 1979–80, and to slightly over £100 million in 1983–84. The increases reflect the introduction of such measures as the microprocessor application project and the microelectronics industry support programme, as well as the higher costs of projects generally.