§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much of the Government's recently announced £7 million a year expenditure on research in the North sea represents new money; by whom this money is to be spent; and on what form of research programme.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyFollowing the second international conference on the protection of the North sea, which was held in London last November, a number of Departments and agencies, including MAFF, DAFS, DOE and NERC have reviewed their funding for North sea research. The main result in the current year has been a revision and refocusing of existing programmes. In the case of the Department of the Environment, the funding for North sea research has increased in the current year from £0.7 million to £1.2 million. Following the statement by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 1 November 1988, we hope to increase this amount by a further £0.5 million in 1989–90.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors govern the amount of money being spent on(a) investigation reactions to toxic chemicals in marine mamals, with particular reference to those in the North sea; and (b) researching the behaviour of viruses in the sea; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe overall objective of the Department's marine research programme is to establish with greater accuracy the relationships between inputs to the sea, the concentration of substances in the environment and their effect on marine life. Marine mammals are high in the food chain and are therefore valuable indicators of pollutants which accumulate in animal tissues. Studies of seals are an important part of the research programmes of my Department and of the Natural Environmental Research Council. Preliminary work suggests that further research would be worthwhile to clarify whether or not such pollutants can effect the immune system in seals. Research on the behaviour of viruses in the marine environment is currently being considered.