§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from among the United Kingdom research community and environmentalists on the level of Government funding for research on international environmental policy issues; and what assessment he has made of the performance of Economic and Social Research Council and other Government-funded research programmes in this area.
§ Mr. MacleanMy Department is in frequent contact with the United Kingdom research community and environmentalists on the levels and direction of research on international environmental policy issues.650W Responsibility for assessing the performance of ESRC and other Government-funded research programmes rests with the funding bodies concerned.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to set up a consultation process with academic specialists, environmental groups and other expert parties in order to establish national and international environmental research programmes, along the lines of that operated in the Netherlands.
§ Mr. MacleanMy Department already operates a well-established, comprehensive system of consultation on its research programmes.