HC Deb 11 December 1984 vol 69 cc444-5W
Mr. Arnold

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what funds his Department is spending on research into acid deposition in the current financial year; how much is expected to be spent next year; if he will list the projects involved, where known; and how much of this represents moneys allocated to basic research and applied research, respectively.

Mr. Waldegrave

My right hon. Friend expects to spend approximately £1.5 million on acid deposition research and monitoring in the current financial year; the projects involved are listed below.

An increase of about £1 million in this total is being planned for 1985–86 to be spent largely on additional monitoring and on research into the effects of acid deposition.

Most of the Department's research is aimed at solving pollution problems and should therefore be classified as applied, although some basic supporting research is also necessary.

Project and Contractor

Warren Spring Laboratory

  1. 1. Monitoring, atmospheric measurement and modelling of acid components and precursors.

AERE, Harwell

  1. 2. Atmospheric chemistry, modelling of photo-oxidants and acid components.

NERC, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Edinburgh

  1. 3. Effects of acid deposition on plants and soils.

Macauley Institute for Soil Research

  1. 4. Effects of acid deposition on upland soils and streams.

DAFS, Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory

  1. 5. Effects of acidification on the fauna of lakes and streams in Scotland.

University of Loughborough

  1. 6. Chemical inputs from precipitation and their effects on the chemistry of a catchment area.

Imperial College

  1. 7. Combined impact of acid deposition and ozone.

Welsh Water Authority/NERC

  1. 8. Effect of different land management regimes on water acidity, fish stocks and freshwater biota in 5 catchment areas in Wales.

AERE, Harwell

  1. 9. Modelling of acid deposition and photo-oxidants.

Imperial College

  1. 10. Effects of acid deposition and ozone on trees.

North West Water Authority/NERC

  1. 11. Effects of acidification on freshwater biota in the Rivers Esk and Duddon, Cumbria.

NERC/AERE

  1. 12. Effects of acid mists and fogs at altitude, Great Dun Fell, Cumbria.

National Physical Laboratory/BRE

  1. 13. Controlled exposure studies of economic materials.