HC Deb 24 November 1986 vol 106 cc35-6W
Mr. Maclennan

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what basis his Department calculated its estimate of the costs of transferring the Institute of Marine Biochemistry from Aberdeen to Oban.

Mr. Walden

The transfer of the Institute of Marine Biochemistry from Aberdeen to Oban is a matter for the Natural Environment Research Council.

The work of IMB concerns mainly research on fish nutrition of relevance to fish farming. I understand that the council's decision to transfer this work to Oban was based on the potential for increased collaboration with scientists already there, considerations of the nature and long term prospects of the science and the cost of continuing to maintain a small laboratory at Aberdeen for this purpose.

The costs and savings related to the transfer are principally:

  1. i. Building costs at SMBA, Oban, offset by the receipts expected from the sale of the IMB building;
  2. ii. the costs of the transfer of mobile staff to Oban and severance payments for non-mobile staff;
  3. iii. continuing savings from lower running costs at Oban as compared with Aberdeen.

The council has concluded that the transfer is beneficial on both scientific and financial grounds.