Investigating the Oceans

It may seem a little odd that a report published in October 2007 by a now defunct Select Committee is the focus of today's debate in this packed Westminster Hall Chamber. Indeed, when the former Science and Technology Committee announced its "Investigating the Oceans" inquiry in November 2006, we did not envisage that so little progress would be made on such an incredibly important area of science and Government policy. I am therefore delighted that today, some 18 months after the publication of our recommendations, we can seek a progress report from the Minister. Although the Government understandably have a greater interest in what is happening in and around our coastal waters, the oceans are globally important. Indeed, there is growing understanding among scientists and Governments around the world that the oceans are critical to the ability of humans to live on earth. For the production of food, and for trade and security, the oceans have always been important, but they are increasingly seen as key players in the understanding and mitigation of climate change and as a potential future source of power. The Science and Technology Committee decided to undertake the inquiry because there was a sense that the oceans were being taken for granted and that Government policy on the oceans was lacking. Events such as the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in America highlighted the vulnerability of coastal regions and the need for greater understanding of marine science. The inquiry built on previous work. The Committee had looked at carbon capture and storage—using the oceans for storing carbon in saline aquifers—and at how satellites were being used to co-ordinate environmental observation. We also looked at the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee report on marine science, which was the only major piece of work from Parliament to which we could refer, and which was done some 20 years earlier. The prodding and enthusiasm of the land-locked hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Dr. Iddon) led us to produce our research, which we thoroughly enjoyed doing. I am delighted that he is here today. Our terms of reference were to examine the organisation and funding of UK marine science in the polar and non-polar regions, the role played by the UK internationally, support for the provision and development of technology in marine science, the state of UK research and its skills base, the use of marine science of special scientific interest and how marine science is used to advance knowledge of climate change. It was a fairly wide brief. We received evidence from 45 individuals and organisations and held six oral evidence sessions at Westminster. We began our inquiry with a public seminar at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. We held informal discussions with many people during our visits to the Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership, the National Oceanography Centre at Southampton and the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. To gauge the international perspective, we visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston; Woods Hole, the leading US marine science laboratory in Maine; the university of Rhode Island, which is involved with deep sea and deep ocean drilling; Washington, where we engaged with US Administration officials; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Finally, we visited Lisbon, to discuss with Portuguese Government officials their emerging marine strategy and joined up with the Natural Environment Research Council ship, the RRS James Cook, which was on its maiden voyage. It was good to see it in person. It is fair to say that UK marine science is world class, but it is struggling to maintain its current strength, let alone capitalise on new opportunities. UK marine scientists are among the most highly skilled and highly prized in the world. Many are working in better-resourced and better-paid jobs in Japan, and particularly the United States, but, increasingly, we are losing our very best scientists to Germany, which is developing a major marine science facility. There is no strategy in the UK to replace, maintain or improve our skills base. Indeed, in places such as the Proudman laboratory in Liverpool, and in the facilities in Plymouth, Southampton and Newcastle and in Scotland, there is a struggle to get young scientists to enter this crucial field. There is a lack of understanding in policy of the importance of the marine environment for ecosystems, biodiversity, bioresources, energy and climate change, and of the potential to exploit the marine environment commercially and sensitively other than for transport, fishing and leisure. The importance of long-term monitoring is not being adequately addressed and, most importantly, without significant investment, co-ordination and a coherent vision, UK marine science will inevitably fall behind the major players and the UK's chances of solving crucial problems will be drastically reduced. Given our distinguished maritime history and the fact that Britain is an island nation, it would be incredibly sad if our scientific endeavour were to be marginalised at such a crucial time, so I shall now turn to some specific recommendations in our report on which we would like the Minister to comment. In 1986, the Lords Committee argued for the setting up of a co-ordinating body comprising all sectoral interests—public, private and university—to promote UK marine science interests. Instead, the Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology, which was more narrowly focused, was set up. It brought together only Departments and the research councils. The influence of IACMST can best be judged by the fact that no one within Government appeared to know or care to whom it reported. The IACMST believed that it reported to the then Office of Science and Innovation, but no formal report had been made for years and the OSI did not bother to attend plenary meetings. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to which OSI transferred responsibility, seemed equally uncertain of the relationship. Given that the Marine Foresight Panel, which had been set up by OSI and was taken over by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, was disbanded—its recommendations were never implemented—it was imperative that a Government organisation carried out horizon scanning on oceans. The Committee identified a need for a body with real clout to be at the heart of Government and recommended the formation of a marine agency. The Government agreed that the IACMST was not sufficient and accepted the need for better horizon scanning. However, they argued—they were perfectly right to do so—that an agency was not practical for a number of reasons. The Committee did not press that point when we met the Secretary of State. Rather than create an agency, the Government replaced the IACMST with the Marine Science Coordination Committee. The Government said that the MSCC would""bring together the principal public investors in marine science to tackle cross-Departmental issues"." That decision was taken in April 2008. It took three months for the first meeting of the newly formed MSCC to take place—in July 2008—and a further eight months before the second meeting, which took place on 13 March this year. Three weeks later, the minutes still have not been published. Given that the first objective of this new all-singing, all-dancing committee was to publish a marine strategy as a matter of urgency, we must ask the Minister why it took so long to form the MSCC, why it took so long for a second meeting to happen and why it will take until the end of 2009 to produce a marine strategy.