§ THE EARL OF KINNOULLMy 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 how soon and at what cost the studies of the Brent Geese problem at Maplin Sands will be complete, and whether a report will be published.
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, the studies of the Brent Geese are part of a three year research programme which began in September, 1972, and will be complete in September, 1975. The cost of the programme will be about £200,000. The research contract with the Natural Environmental Research Council provides that the right of publication remains with the Council; but, subject to that, the Government intend to make available the results of the research studies.
§ THE EARL OF KINNOULLMy Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that reply. I am sure that all bird lovers will be grateful for the considerable efforts made to encourage the geese to move to other winter grounds. Could my noble friend confirm that the present number of geese at Maplin are between 20,000 and 30,000 every year and each bird is larger than the domestic goose? Could my noble friend also say what the Government's strategic plan will be if the geese decide not to be enticed away from Maplin?
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I hold somewhat the same opinion as my noble friend (although it is not in my brief) that 20,000 to 30,000 366 geese wintering there is about the right figure. I have to confess that I am not a buyer of geese for my home table. I did, however, look up my 1870 edition of Morris's Birds this morning, which says that the male Brent Goose is slightly less than 3 lb. and the female smaller. I am not sure whether that is more or less than the domestic goose. As regards my noble friend's third question, my honourable friend Mr. Heseltine dealt with this point recently in the other place. At the moment we feel that there is no risk, if the geese remain, of their being a danger to aircraft. Aircraft flying in and out at the moment produce only something like 3½ hits in every 10,000 take-offs and landings. Of these, only 6 per cent. are of any significance, and in the years that we have studied, since 1961 there has never been a fatal casualty in any British line caused by bird strike.
§ LORD THOMASMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that there is considerable concern in the aircraft engine industry about the location of Maplin and the likelihood of these geese remaining there? The future aircraft engine, if it is to be quiet and efficient, must have a very large air intake. Already the RB.2l1 has an intake that is more than 7 ft. in diameter. If there are three or four of these on a jet there is a very large area which is extremely sensitive to bird strike. I hope that great care will be taken before Maplin is finally decided upon to see that this unnecessary increased danger to flying will be avoided.
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, I should like to say two things in answer to my noble friend. First, if the food source is reduced, then the geese may not go there. Secondly, the study will consider putting the sort of food the geese like in other suitable places where they might go instead. On the last point referred to by my noble friend, it is true that with the incidence of wide-bodied jets the risk goes up; but it is equally true that safety factors have been built into the engines of wide-bodied jets with this risk in mind.
§ LORD DERWENTMy Lords, when my noble friend was quoting accident figures, were they accidents caused by geese or by seagulls.
§ LORD MOWBRAY AND STOURTONMy Lords, they were caused by bird strikes by various breeds of bird.