BRUCE Welcomes Aberdeen Met Office Decision, Disappointment at loss of Shipping Forecast Service

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 31st Jan 2006

Gordon Liberal Democrat MP Malcolm Bruce has welcomed the decision to retain significant weather forecasting operations at the Met Office in Aberdeen, which is based in Bridge of Don in his Gordon constituency. He has expressed disappointment however that the shipping forecast will be transferred from Aberdeen to Exeter and that there will be a net loss of forecasting jobs.

Mr Bruce said:

"Today's announcement is a major improvement on the original option which would have effectively ended active weather forecasting in Aberdeen.

"I am grateful to the Minister, Don Touhig, for receiving an all party delegation of MPs on 2 occasions and listening to the case made for Aberdeen. We've clearly been successful in persuading him of the commercial and practical importance of maintaining active weather forecasting capabilities in Aberdeen for the marine industries and especially offshore oil and gas.

"I'm nevertheless disappointed that the shipping forecast currently produced in Aberdeen will transfer to Exeter in spite of the improvements in the service achieved by the Aberdeen office and the plaudits this secured.

"I'm puzzled by the logic of retaining only public weather services in Aberdeen and only commercial services for the marine industry when logic would suggest that shipping forecast and marine services fit together. Commercial services in reality include those commissioned by local authorities and the police and it would have been preferable for them to have remained in Aberdeen.

"I very much hope that the Met Office will take a constructive and flexible approach to future operations in Aberdeen and are prepared to develop them where it is clear that customer service can be improved."