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Antarctic: Tourist Ships

I, too, congratulate the noble Viscount, Lord Montgomery, on introducing this debate. I will keep away from the environmental issues, which are quite serious. Although it is unclear whether the science all points in one direction, we should be very cautious about causing further depredations in the Antarctic area. The need for safety and training has been emphasised. Oddly enough, when I was putting my contribution together, the person who helps me in the Whips’ Office said that a friend of theirs was actually on the ship that rescued the people who were cast into the sea when the ““Explorer”” sank. That incident resulted in a considerable interruption to their cruise as well, in that they were kept in their cabins for three days and all their food was brought to them—presumably so that the two groups of people could be kept apart, I do not know. It is important that people who go into these somewhat uncertain waters are properly trained and that a sufficient number can speak a language which is easily understood. If there is an emergency, having people who do not even speak the same language is worrying. I was pleased to hear the noble Lord, Lord Greenway, say that the IMO is doing all sorts of things to avoid risks to tourist ships, and I certainly accept that if people are sending large ships to Antarctica, it is in their own interests to ensure that they are properly prepared for anything they might meet. Tourism is increasing in many fragile parts of the world. Something that the IMO and others ought to take up is the fact that as far as possible, they should ensure that they consume their own smoke, that they should not dump waste, and that they do not interfere any more than necessary with the environment. We must not make things worse. What I would particularly like to hear from the Minister when he winds up the debate is whether the Government have any intention of reducing the personnel strength or the equipment at the disposal of the British Antarctic Survey. The survey makes a valuable contribution to science, one that we would not wish to lose. In fact, it conducts a lot of vital research. I have been reading about some of its work, and while it does not say that this or that will happen, it does say that we should be careful about this or that and stresses the need for the scientific measurement of what is actually going on. There appear to be quite a few possibly alarmist stories, so we need the facts. If, in his summary, the Minister is able to say something about the funding of the British Antarctic Survey, that would help a lot.