To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the global average temperature was relative to the 51 to 80 average in (a) June and (b) the period from January to May. [12243]

Climate monitoring carried out at the Met Office's Hadley centre, supported by my Department, shows provisionally that the global average temperature—relative to the 1951–1980 average—was +0.44°C in June 1997 and +0.37°C for the period January to May 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what prediction the Government have made of global average temperature relative to the 51 to 80 average in each month from July to November of this year. [12244]

Climate monitoring is carried out at the Met Office's Hadley centre, supported by my Department. However, data for July are not yet completed and the Government make no such predictions of global average temperature.