§ 8. Mr. Huntasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will reduce the proportion of Meteorological Office expenditure devoted to long-range weather forecasting.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Air Force (Mr. Antony Lambton)The proportion is only half of 1 per cent. and this represents the minimum practical scale on which this work can be carried on. The preparation of experimental forecasts is an essential part of the research towards extending the range of weather forecasts.
§ Mr. HuntWhile I do not necessarily complain that the white Christmas we were promised failed to materialise, may I ask whether my hon. Friend is aware that the long-range weather forecasts are regarded as a joke by the public, who read them with the same degree of scepticism and superstitution as they read their daily horoscopes, which are about as reliable? Is not it time to put an end to this farce?
§ Mr. LambtonI can only repeat that the expenditure is very small and is essential to further research towards extending the range of the forecasts.
§ Mr. Hugh FraserAs the Minister who first published the forecasts, may I remind the House that they are more often right than wrong, and may I press on my hon. Friend that more money should be spent rather than less? If we could make a breakthrough in long-range weather forecasting, which is possible with sufficient resources, the economic savings to the country would be staggering and immense.