HC Deb 27 July 1899 vol 75 c504
MR. BUCHANAN

I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, whether the Government has declined to sanction a grant of £1,000 to enable the Ben Nevis observatory, the only high level observatory in the country, to be carried on for a further period of two years

MR. HANBURY

The facts are not as implied in the question. The Government make a grant to the Meteorological Council of £15,300 a year. They have abstained from expressing any opinion as to what portion of that grant should be assigned to the Ben Nevis Observatory. That is a question for the Meteorological Council, which, I may remind the House, includes a special representative of Scottish meteorologists

MR. BUCHANAN

Did not the right hon. Gentleman say, exactly a year ago, that the Government would endeavour to persuade the Council to make a grant to the observatory?

MR. HANBURY

We have done so, but apparently they do not think they should do so.

MR. BUCHANAN

Will the First Lord of the Treasury give us half-an-hour to discuss the Meteorological Vote?

(No answer was given.)