asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the total sum spent by universities on research, and the proportion spent on medical research, in each of the past five years for which figures are available and his estimate for the current year and 1980–81; what is the value of each figure at 1979 survey prices; and if he will make a statement.

The following table gives the total estimated sums spent by universities on scientific research in each of the last five years for which the information is available.

Academic year	Expenditure at outturn prices £m	Expenditure at 1979 survey prices £m
1973–74	186·8	361·4
1974–75	211·0	336·7
1975–76	269·1	342·2
1976–77	287·4	333·8
1977–78	316·5	333·2

It is not possible, without disproportionate cost, to extract the proportion that was spent on medical research.It is not yet possible to calculate the total sum that is likely to be spent by universities on scientific research in either the current academic year or 1980–81.