§ 35. Mr. Buchanan-SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consult chief constables and mountain rescue organisations on the feasibility of establishing an avalanche monitoring and warning system for Scottish mountains during the winter period; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindI am happy to consider the views of chief constables and mountain rescue organisations to see what improvement is practicable in the availability of local information about avalanche risks.
The nub of the problem is to secure access to authoritative local information. General warnings are often of limited relevance because the risk of avalanche depends on slope aspect, temperature, wind and precipitation and may therefore vary widely on and between individual hills.
The best insurance against avalanche accidents is to encourage all those who go on the hills to learn to recognise the conditions which can cause avalanches and to seek local knowledge and advice which is readily available in popular winter climbing areas such as Lochaber and the Cairngorms.