Written question asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon (Independent Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Wilcox (Conservative) on Monday, 18 October 2010.

Large Hadron Collider

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money they contribute to the Large Hadron Collider; and what assessment they have made of the commercial and scientific benefits to justify continued financial support for the project from public funds.

Answer: Expenditure on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is funded from the budget of CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. The UK Government, through the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), currently contribute 14.6 per cent of the CERN budget, which is determined in Swiss francs, and this equates to approximately £96 million per year. Due to the economic situation facing the UK and some other CERN members, the UK initiated a debate with CERN members on a reduction in contributions. CERN council has agreed to reduce the CERN budget over the period 2011-15. STFC undertook a scientific assessment of the value of the LHC and UK particle physics in 2009 and concluded that it was a very high priority. STFC also analysed the value of industrial contracts won by UK organisations over the LHC construction period from 1995 to 2008. This averaged around £19 million per annum or about 7.5 per cent of contracts placed and is in addition to contracts placed by the UK and other countries in relation to the LHC experiments. UK industry continues to win important contracts directly from CERN.

Secondary information