§ Lord WAKEFIELD of KENDAL asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What positive action is proposed to be taken in the United Kingdom com- parable with the work now being carried out in the United States of America by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the US Department of Commerce.
§ Lord TREFGARNEWhile there is no corresponding organisation in the United Kingdom, comparable work is carried out by a number of bodies. For example the fisheries ministries are responsible for the management and conservation of fisheries, and the protection of the marine environment from pollution. In support of these responsibilities the Directorate of Fisheries Research, centred at Lowestoft and the Scottish Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen, carry out extensive programmes of research including, for example, research into fish ecology, exploitation and cultivation, and the effect of pollutants on the aquatic environment and on aquatic organisms. The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) supports research into physical oceanography, the atmospheric sciences, marine geology and geophysics, and marine biology. Substantial research programmes at NERC institutes include studies of major ocean circulation patterns, air/sea interaction, and the tidal dynamics of oceans and the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. NERC also supports a wide range of research on the ecological relationship of marine organisms with their environment. Other departments have marine responsibilities including the provision of hydrographic services.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is responsible for weather observations, forecasts and warnings, and in the United Kingdom this responsibility is borne by the Ministry of Defence (Meteorological Office). In the United Kingdom, the Department of the Environment is responsible for air pollution control. The Department of Industry's Warren Spring Laboratory provides technical advice and assistance on 433 surveillance and monitoring and on the distribution, dispersion and abatement of air pollution.
These organisations work closely with each other.