§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any intention of establishing an interdisciplinary research centre in relation to ozone layer research at the Meteorological Office; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answer 2 May 1989]: No. Ozone layer research in the EC and EFTA countries is being co-ordinated from 1 April this year with the assistance of a special unit set up by the Department of the Environment and the European Commission. The Meteorological Office plays an important national and international advisory role through the expertise developed from work on atmospheric dynamics and chemistry. It has participated, with part funding from the Department of the Environment, in the large US-led 1987 Antarctic ozone experiment and in the similar 1989 experiment carried out in the Arctic; it is also collaborating with universities in this field.