HL Deb 16 January 1989 vol 503 cc95-6WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their attitude to the problem of manmade debris in space, to which Sir Bernard Lovell recently drew attention when he intimated the presence of 2,000 tonnes of debris there now.

The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Lord Young of Graffham)

While man-made debris has not so far significantly inhibited the beneficial use of space, it is obviously prudent to take steps to monitor how much debris is building up and how it should be minimised. We have been glad to support a recent study by the European Space Agency on this subject. ESA have just reported on this and we shall now be discussing the findings with them and with other member states.