§ Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the future of the Royal Observatory, Herstmonceux, and the reasons for the limitation of use in the Canary Islands observatory of the Isaac Newton telescope transferred there from the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. BrookeI understand that the Science and Engineering Research Council has no plans to close the royal Greenwich observatory, or move it from its location at Herstmonceux. The majority of the observatory's staff continues to be responsible for completing the construction of the telescope in the Canary Islands and for their operation.
Although the commissioning of the Isaac Newton telescope is not yet complete the telescope is already used for half its time by astronomers from the wide international community it serves in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Spain. Important new scientific results have already been obtained and many more are expected when the telescope comes into full operation next year. The excellent observing conditions on the high, clear site in the Canary Islands have already exceeded the standards forecast in the original site testing programme and look set to provide a unique environment for advanced optical astronomers.