Local MP to raise Met Office Closure in the House

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 27th Jun 2005

Gordon MP, Malcolm Bruce, who will visit the Aberdeen Met Office located in his Gordon constituency today (Monday 27th June) intends to raise the issue of its proposed closure and the transfer of services to Exeter in the House of Commons this week.

Mr Bruce said he is particularly anxious to see how the obsession with centralising the service at a remote location will benefit customers and how the public service dimension of Government weather forecasting can be maintained.

Mr Bruce points out that up until last year the Met Office was actively promoting the advantage of the Aberdeen location claiming that Aberdeen based communication managers are often the first point of contact with the customer.

He quotes the met Office website, which says " They have a very important job because, as well as day-to-day maintenance of vital systems, they are involved in the development, set-up and delivery of a wide range of products. The marine market, particularly the offshore segment, is very dynamic, requiring a rapid response by our staff. It is not unusual for several service changes to be made in a single day by the Aberdeen team. Reaction times vary according to requirement, but the Aberdeen team have delivered new forecasts to a new customer within 15 minutes of receiving a request."

"How is this hands on communication going to be maintained from Exeter?" asks Mr Bruce underlining the website claim that "Last but not least, the Met Office at Aberdeen offers a valuable Marine Forecaster Consultant service. An experienced marine forecaster is always available to customers on the phone. Normal-working-hours contact with the industry is maintained by a briefing and consultation team, which routinely visits the offices of major oil industry corporations and contractors in and around the city. Ultimately, the Aberdeen team can provide an on-site consultant."

Less than a year ago the outgoing Met Office Chief Executive - David Rogers

stated: "I want the Met Office - to work with government to help to mitigate the impacts of severe weather. This goal can only be achieved if we maintain a significant regional presence and I wish to focus on services which improve public safety - Aberdeen Met Office is a great example of somewhere this has already happened. Everything they do is focused on protecting life at sea."

"This simply cannot be done from Exeter," says Mr Bruce "It seems that the investment in Exeter has been on such a scale that the Office is closing its key and only Scottish operation to pay for the headquarters."

"I will be visiting the Aberdeen site today to see exactly how the service operates and to make a judgment as to how this kind of rapid response, hands-on service can be maintained if the Aberdeen Office is closed - especially at a time when rising oil prices are raising activity levels. I will then table questions to the Ministry of Defence and seek to raise the matter in the House and seek a meeting with John Reid, Secretary of State for Defence."