Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether each of the Met Office's network of weather stations is (1) appropriately sited, (2) adequately maintained, and (3) able to provide consistently reliable meteorological data.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Met Office’s weather station network currently consists of 405 sites across the United Kingdom (UK). This includes manual and automatic weather stations. The exact postal address of each site is not publicly available due to national security, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and land ownership reasons. The Met Office website provides a map of the UK station network.
The Met Office is ISO 9001 accredited and has a rigorous, internationally recognised quality-control process that includes calibration, inspection, and verification against World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. The Government utilises a range of evidence, including information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and Met Office modelling and observations, ensuring climate policies are grounded in the latest scientific data.
Observation sites are chosen using strict criteria to ensure representative measurements and minimise external influences, as appropriate to the intended data use. The location of weather stations is vital to ensure consistency and continuity of measurements. When selecting station location the Met Office balances the operational need for coverage, whilst adhering to set standards. Regular physical inspections and maintenance of observation sites are carried out and all instruments undergo regular calibration, against externally recognised standards, to maintain measurement accuracy.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in respect of the integrity of the data provided by the Met Office’s network of weather stations in the UK and the role that data has in shaping the Government’s policies to influence climate change.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Met Office’s weather station network currently consists of 405 sites across the United Kingdom (UK). This includes manual and automatic weather stations. The exact postal address of each site is not publicly available due to national security, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and land ownership reasons. The Met Office website provides a map of the UK station network.
The Met Office is ISO 9001 accredited and has a rigorous, internationally recognised quality-control process that includes calibration, inspection, and verification against World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. The Government utilises a range of evidence, including information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and Met Office modelling and observations, ensuring climate policies are grounded in the latest scientific data.
Observation sites are chosen using strict criteria to ensure representative measurements and minimise external influences, as appropriate to the intended data use. The location of weather stations is vital to ensure consistency and continuity of measurements. When selecting station location the Met Office balances the operational need for coverage, whilst adhering to set standards. Regular physical inspections and maintenance of observation sites are carried out and all instruments undergo regular calibration, against externally recognised standards, to maintain measurement accuracy.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many weather stations exist within the Met Office’s network of weather stations in the UK reportedly supplying meteorological data and what are each of their postal addresses.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Met Office’s weather station network currently consists of 405 sites across the United Kingdom (UK). This includes manual and automatic weather stations. The exact postal address of each site is not publicly available due to national security, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and land ownership reasons. The Met Office website provides a map of the UK station network.
The Met Office is ISO 9001 accredited and has a rigorous, internationally recognised quality-control process that includes calibration, inspection, and verification against World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. The Government utilises a range of evidence, including information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and Met Office modelling and observations, ensuring climate policies are grounded in the latest scientific data.
Observation sites are chosen using strict criteria to ensure representative measurements and minimise external influences, as appropriate to the intended data use. The location of weather stations is vital to ensure consistency and continuity of measurements. When selecting station location the Met Office balances the operational need for coverage, whilst adhering to set standards. Regular physical inspections and maintenance of observation sites are carried out and all instruments undergo regular calibration, against externally recognised standards, to maintain measurement accuracy.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the GOV.UK One Login digital app lost its certification under the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework, what is its current certification status and whether it will be ready to manage the Companies House identity verification requirements that come into force on 18 November
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In April 2025, GOV.UK One Login’s Trust Framework certification was suspended due to a supply chain issue where one third party allowed their certification to lapse. This was not due to any change in GOV.UK One Login’s product, approach, or security. GOV.UK One Login is working to recertify as a priority.
Companies House onboarded to GOV.UK One Login in March 2025. We have been supporting Companies House users since then, and are fully prepared to support the mandatory Companies House requirements that take effect on November 18th. Certification to the Trust Framework is not a necessary condition for this.