Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received any information from the United States of America Government or Her Majesty's ambassador in Washington DC in regard to the implications for joint environmental protection research between the United States of America and the United Kingdom, of the proposed increases in the United States budget for environmental research in 1990.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyJoint environmental protection research between the United States of America and the United Kingdom is undertaken through a variety of arrangements, including a memorandum of understanding agreed in 1987. Collaborative work also takes place through the auspices of other bodies such as the United Nations environment programme, Economic Commission for Europe, and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
It is not possible at this stage to assess the implications for research collaboration of proposed increases in the United States budget for 1990 for environmental protection research.