Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what access to the United Nations global resource information database and the United Nations global environmental monitoring system is afforded to United Kingdom research institutes, univer-sities, polytechnics and colleges; and if he will make a statement on the utility of these United Nations data systems for developing environmental education in the United Kingdom.
Mr. JacksonI understand that United Kingdom researchers are able to gain access to data from the global320W resource information database through a local centre of the global environment monitoring system. This is situated at the monitoring and assessment research centre in the university of London, King's College. The databases are of considerable sophistication and would hence be inappropriate for general use in environmental education at school level.