§ Mr. Cleggasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps, by legislation or otherwise, to set up a national oceanic council to co-ordinate the work of all research and development groups concerned with the obtaining of food and minerals from the seas and oceans.
§ Mr. Goronwy RobertsThe necessary co-ordination is already achieved. The Natural Environment Research Council, which was created last year, has set up two committees—Oceanography and Fisheries Committee and the Geology and Geophysics Committee. The first contains representatives of the White Fish Authority, the fishing industry, the official and independent research organisations, and interested departments such as the Navy. It reviews and advises on the whole field of research on Oceanography and Fisheries excluding the geology and geophysics of the sea floor which is part of the responsibility of the second. The work of these two committees is co-ordinated by the Council itself. Exploration for oil and gas is controlled by licence and permission to drill wells is only given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Power after consultation with other interested departments. Any information obtained by the licencees in the course of their operations must be made available to my right hon. Friend and he has authorised the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Natural Environment Research Council to receive it.