§ 3.18 p.m.
§ LORD ALLERTONMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make long-term weather forecasts available to the public.]
LORD ST. OSWALDMy Lords, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Air considered this possibility a few months ago. He was then advised that the experimental forecasts for a month ahead, which the Meteorological Office had been making over a trial period, were not sufficiently reliable to publish. The matter will be reviewed in about a year's time in the light of further research and the results of more experimental forecasts.
§ LORD ALLERTONMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his reply. At the moment forecasts are available for several periods of weather on payment 1197 of a fee of, I think, £2. Could they not be broadcast by the B.B.C. or on television without payment?
LORD ST. OSWALDMy Lords, I do not know to what particular system the noble Lord is referring. We are not aware of any system of long-range weather forecasting which would be sufficiently reliable to be given Government or official backing.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, is it not a fact that there is an attempt to give forecasts for certain periods—say, about a week—in agricultural broadcasts on television?
LORD ST. OSWALDMy Lords, I think that in this case my noble friend is referring to longer-range forecasts than that. I think he is referring to forecasts a month ahead.
§ LORD STONHAMMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether he can give any short-term forecast that it is going to become a little warmer?
§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETHMy Lords, could the noble Lord take steps with a view to the television people's giving simple, ignorant souls like myself some guidance about technical terms of the weather forecasts—for example, "A depression is approaching from Iceland", and others which I cannot at the moment remember? I do not know what a "depression" is or what it signifies. Could he arrange for the television forecasts to be done so that simple and working-class and ignorant people like myself could be given explanations as to what is meant by all the technical terms they use, because I do not understand the weather forecasts?
LORD ST. OSWALDMy Lords, it appears from the noble Lord's words that I do not know what a simple soul is. This point is rather outside the boundaries of this particular Question, but I will naturally communicate the noble Lord's wish to the proper authorities.
§ LORD AIREDALEMy Lords, does not Her Majesty's Stationery Office publish a short, concise and convenient guide to these matters? I believe it is quite cheap.