HL Deb 25 March 1980 vol 407 cc785-8WA
Lord RITCHIE-CALDER

asked Her Majesty's Government:

  1. (1) What are their long-term intentions towards the oil pollution work now done at Warren Spring Laboratory;
  2. (2) whether the Rothschild system is in operation in relation to the Oil 786 Pollution Unit at Warren Spring Laboratory;
  3. (3) how much public money has been expended on the Oil Pollution Unit at Warren Spring Laboratory in each of the last ten years;
  4. (4) what has been the annual return to them in royalties, etc., derived from work in this Unit in the last ten years;
  5. (5) what has been the annual return from courses offered by the Unit in the last ten years;
  6. (6) what moneys earned by the Unit have come from Government Departments other than the Department of Industry and from private or nationalised industry; and
  7. (7) what moneys have been earned by this Unit from the European Community.

The MINISTER of STATE, DEPARTMENT of INDUSTRY (Viscount Trenchard)

Part 1: Current oil pollution work will continue at Warren Spring Laboratory until the end of 1981 by when it is anticipated that final operational evaluation in three major projects of mechanical recovery, dispersant application and remote-sensing devices will be substantially completed. Thereafter there will be a phased run-down of personnel to a degree which will permit some continuing of work on oil pollution and allow the development of chemical pollution techniques.

Part 2: The Rothschild customer-contractor principle has been in operation in respect of the Oil Pollution Unit at WSL since the present Requirements Board System was introduced in 1972. The Ship and Marine Technology Requirements Board has been the Board responsible for considering WSL's proposals in this field.

The information asked for in Parts 3, 4, 5 and 6, is contained in the accompanying table.

Part 7: No money has been earned by the Unit from the European Community.

OIL POLLUTION UNIT AT WARREN SPRING LABORATORY
Expenditure and Receipts, 1970 to 1980, in £000s
70/71 71/72 72/73 73/74 74/75 75/76 76/77 77/78 78/79 79/80 (est.) Total
Gross Expenditure (full economic cost) 42 54 157 271 3021 9341 6201 524 583 648 4,135
Receipts
Royalties 1 2 1 5 1 2 7 4 23
Courses 16 17 9 12 6 26 86
Other Government Departments 52 88 109 135 140 134 4992 1,157
Private and Nationalised Industry 1 10 3 3 44 6 16 22 18 123
Total Receipts 1 11 57 108 175 151 170 169 547 1,389

Notes:

1 Costs include purchase and conversion of ship (total 752).

2 First year of payments by Department of Trade. Similar work in previous years was funded by Department of Industry.

House adjourned at half-past eleven o'clock.