§ Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bankasked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they have given to the report of Friends of the Earth on Sea-Level Rise and the United Kingdom, and what further action they propose to protect the coastline of the United Kingdom from the consequences of rising sea levels.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Howe)The Government fully recognise the need to plan for possible sea level rise. In November 1991 the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food issued guidance to the National Rivers Authority and maritime district councils on how to respond to the impact of climate change on coastal defences. The guidance confirmed the strategy first promulgated in July 1989 of incorporating flexibility in coastal defence design to allow for future modification when better predictions become available. The guidance also advised on the allowances to be made, in millimetres per year, for the combined effects of sea level rise and earth crustal movements in coastal regions in England, based on the best available scientific information. This guidance is taken into account as coastal defences are renewed or improved.
101WASea levels around the UK are constantly monitored by the national tide gauge network, and information from this source contributes to the global monitoring programme of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, which will provide early indications of actual changes in sea level. Research is in hand to help provide firmer predictions and to separate the measurements of crustal movement and sea level rise.