§ Mr. Maclennanasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Caithness and Sutherland, Official Report, 24 November, columns 35–6, he will itemise (a) the anticipated building costs consequent upon the removal of work from the Institute of Marine Biochemistry in Aberdeen to the Scottish Marine Biological Association Laboratory in Oban, (b) the anticipated receipts from the sale of the Institute of Marine Biology building, (c) the costs of the transfer of mobile staff to Oban and severance payments for non-mobile staff and (d) the forecast running costs at Oban as compared with Aberdeen, expressed as cost per employee.
§ Mr. DunnThe information on the anticipated receipts from the sale of the Institute of Marine Biochemistry building at Aberdeen is commercially sensitive, but the receipts are likely to be comparable with the anticipated building costs consequent on the removal of work from the IMB to the Scottish Marine Biological Association laboratory at Oban.
The information requested for (c) and (d) is as follows:
(c) the costs of transfer of mobile staff to Oban are estimated to be £100,000. The severance payments of non-mobile staff are estimated to be £40,000 in the first year and £8,000 thereafter.
(d) The cost of running the IMB work at Aberdeen, excluding support staff, is £80,000 per year. The forecast running costs at Oban after the transfer are estimated to be £40,000 per year. Expressed as cost per scientist—i.e. mobile staff—the respective running costs are £5,700 at Aberdeen and £2,900 at Oban. In addition, the Natural Environment Research Council anticipates that furthrr savings in running costs will result from employing fewer support staff at Oban compared with the present situation at Aberdeen.