Threat To Government Research Laboratories

EDM number 1029 in 1993-94, proposed by Michael Connarty on 14/04/1994.

That this House expresses concern at the rundown of the Scientific Civil Service and deplores the damage done by privatisation policies in the Department of Trade and Industry; notes that fewer than half, namely 286, of the scientists and engineers now remain at the National Engineering Laboratory in East Kilbride since it was designated for privatisation three years ago, that only 82 environmental scientists out of 160 transferred to AEA Technology from the Warren Spring Laboratory, Stevenage, on 1st April and that the organisation is earmarked for privatisation while plans have been announced in a written Answer from the Department of Trade and Industry on 14th May for private sector management in the Department's industrial research laboratories at Teddington, the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and the National Physical Laboratory and the National Engineering Laboratory; can see nothing in the experience of such policies to recommend this course to the Government; and calls on the Government to halt this process before it causes the destruction of the Scientific Civil Service.

This motion has been signed by a total of 100 MPs.