Acid Rain (Hansard, 20 June 1984)

§ 6. Mr. Craigen
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on measures which the Scottish Office is taking to combat the effects of acid rain.

§ Mr. Ancram
The factors which lead to the formation of acid rain, and its subsequent effects on the environment, are complex and not clearly understood at present. Therefore, the primary need is for more research and my Department, together with the Department of the Environment, is funding an expanded programme in Scotland at a cost of about £400,000 this year. That is part of a United Kingdom programme of 1.8 million.

§ Mr. Craigen
With the publication of the Nature Conservancy Council report and the anxieties that it expressed on acid rain, does the Minister believe that the forests of Galloway and the highlands and the lochs of Scotland are at risk?

§ Mr. Ancram
The Government share the concern about acid rain, and that is reflected in our interest in ensuring that the causes and effects of it are properly understood. I have seen reports about some areas in the south-west of Scotland where a few lochs have shown high acid levels and low fish populations. At the same time, it is difficult to say whether that is caused by acid rain, by another natural phenomenon, or by a combination of both. Before we take other steps, we must understand the nature of the problem and the most cost-effective way of dealing with it.

§ Sir Hector Monro
Does my hon. Friend accept that there are conflicting reports this week from the Nature Conservancy Council and the Department of Energy? Will he instigate within the Government generally, who have enormous research capabilities, a co-ordinated effort to discover what the problem is, because it will not go away? There is great anxiety in the population, especially in south-west Scotland, and the sooner we can resolve the problem the better.

§ Mr. Ancram
Indeed, the combining of the research efforts is a very important priority. The Scottish Development Department is at present compiling a register of all acid rain research being conducted in Scotland. This will be published in due course. While we recognise the seriousness of the problem, it is important that we do not draw conclusions and try out remedies which might not be effective until we are sure of the relationship between the cause and the effect.

§ Mr. Donald Stewart
Does the Minister not think that the Scottish Office should take the lead, particularly since the acid soil and the underlying hard rock in Scotland have been pinpointed as being specially vulnerable? Is it not rather hard on Scotland that we have to be on the receiving end, since the Government have virtually ceased all industrial emissions in Scotland?

§ Mr. Ancram
The right hon. Gentleman answers the question himself. It is a matter for the Scottish Office because of the possible problems caused by acid rain. It is equally a problem for the Department of the Environment because of the possible causes of it. This is why the Department of the Environment and the Scottish Office are jointly funding the research.