§ 5. Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to stimulate and encourage research into environmental matters in Wales.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Ian Grist)The Welsh Office has commissioned a number of research projects into environmental matters related to my right hon. Friend's responsibilities in Wales, and with permission, Mr. Speaker, I shall circulate a list in the Official Report and place a copy in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. MichaelWill the Minister also circulate a list of those items that are being deleted and undermined by him and his right hon. Friend? When the Minister considers the proposed closure of research vessel support services at Barry, the destruction of the environmental research centre at Bangor, the threat to the environment from the Water Bill and the failure of Government Ministers to obtain a separate water authority for Wales, does he agree that the Secretary of State is presiding over the destruction of environmental research in Wales?
§ Mr. GristI am afraid that the hon. Gentleman took a little too long in preparing that question. I have read his speech in this House, in which he made most of those points, and some of his contributions in the Water Bill Committee, in which he made other points which have been well answered by my hon. Friend the Minister of State. The research vessel services from Barry are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science. I understand that the move has been made for the best scientific reasons.
§ Mr. MorganThe Minister is right to say that the Department of Education and Science is formally and departmentally responsible. But, in pursuit of joint oversight responsibilities for these facilities in Wales, did the Secretary of State for Wales plead with that Department on the ground of regional policy alone—as is pointed out in the early-day motion of the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Sir R. Gower), who is sadly absent today—that it makes no sense to move hi-tech jobs in 697 Government research and development from an area such as south Wales to an overheated area in the south-east of England?
§ Mr. GristThe hon. Gentleman, too, is repeating what he said in the debate. This is a decision by the Natural Environment Research Council and it is for the best scientific reasons. There is no other similar institute which has its vessel separate from its main body. Southampton university will be a world-wide centre of excellence for oceanographic research.
§ Following is the list:
| Environmental research projects commissioned by Welsh Office as at February 1989 | |
| Project | Researcher(s) |
| Environmental Remote Sensing | University College Cardiff |
| Conwy Estuary Invertebrate Study | University College of North Wales |
| Evaluation of the Performance of pre-treatment facilities on marine discharges | Welsh Water Authority |
| Baseline Study of Acid Rain in Welsh Lakes | University of Bradford |
| Effect of Storm Water overflows on river water/biota quality | Welsh Water Authority |
| Investigation of the changes in Water quality and quantity arising from upland drainage of afforested areas | Institute of Terrestrial Ecology |
| Hydrological impact of small-scale broad-leaved forestry on lowland sites | Institute of Hydrology |
| The movement of sediments in Swansea Bay | University of Southampton |
| Ecological modelling of the impact of atmospheric pollution afforestation, soil type and land use | University College Cardiff |
| Organic compounds in Welsh Soils | University of Lancaster |
| Survey of contaminated land in Wales | University of Liverpool |
| Body Burden and exposure to heavy metals | Singleton Hospital, Swansea |
| Tree and Shrub seeding experiments | University of Liverpool |
| Survey of analytical capability for radioactivity in Wales | University College Cardiff |
| Development of a national system for monitoring wastes arising in Wales | Aspinwall and Company |
| Minimisation of waste movement | M. J. Carter Associates |
| Effects of ozone and other gaseous pollutants on Welsh vegetation | Institute of Terrestrial Ecology |
| Morbidity and heavy metal content of Welsh soil | University College Cardiff |
| Whole Body Monitoring for Chernobyl radiation | Singleton Hospital, Swansea |
| Radon Survey in Wales | National Radiological Protection Board |
| Assessment of Reclamation Methods for Contaminated Sites in Wales | Richards Moorehead and Laing, Ruthin |
| Effectiveness of coastal defence structures in Wales | Polytechnic of Wales, Pontypridd |
| Monitoring of East Pentwyn and Bournville landslips | Gwent County Council |
| Site specific monitoring of landslips using BRE methods | Polytechnic of Wales, Pontrypridd, and Building Research Establishment |
| Site-specific monitoring of landslips using microseismic/acoustic emission techniques | Polytechnic of Wales, Pontypridd |
| Durability and performance of 'fixtone' in coast protection structures | Polytechnic of Wales, Pontypridd |
| Project | Researcher(s) |
| Coastal process monitoring, Carmarthen Bay | University College of Swansea |
| Wales Terrestrial Rural Data Base | University College Cardiff |
| Welsh Landscape Study: the use of Remote Sensing to classify landscape | University of Nottingham, Wye College, University of London |
| Deeside Thematic Geological Mapping | British Geological Survey |
| Wrexham Thematic Geological Mapping | British Geological Survey |
| Assessment of sand and gravel resources in the Lleyn Peninsula, Gwynedd | Department of Earth Sciences, University of Liverpool |
| Welsh Highways Landscape Study | MWT Landscapes, Avon |
| Study of Exposed Highway Rock and Scree Slopes | Richards, Moorehead Laing Ltd. |
| A55 Ecological Study | D. Lovejoy and Partners |