HC Deb 11 July 1973 vol 859 cc1516-8
17. Miss Boothroyd

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the discomfort suffered by residents in Greets Green, West Bromwich, caused by odours from factories manufacturing noxious or offensive gases and particularly escapes from a chemical plant manufacturing compounds used in the gas industry, whether he is satisfied as a result of reports from the Alkali Inspectorate with the existing control procedures in the factories concerned, and if not, what plans he has for improvements.

Mr. Eldon Griffiths

The complete elimination of escaping odours from this process is regrettably beyond the limits of present-day technological knowledge or practice. I am satisfied that the best practicable means to supress the emissions have been adopted and that advances are continually being sought and will be implemented where practicable.

One of the difficulties is that a firm in this area manufactures odours to give natural gas a distinctive smell which otherwise it would not have.

Miss Boothroyd

I thank the Minister for his reply. Is he aware that, in the case of the factory which manufactures the smell for North Sea gas, the escape of only a very small quantity pollutes the whole area? It clings to people's clothing and their household furnishings. Will the Minister arrange a site meeting with his inspectorate, with representatives of the local authority and local residents' associations and with the industrialists with a view to bringing about greater arrestment procedures in this particular factory and a better mutual understanding of the problem?

Is the Minister aware that the nearest branch of the Alkali Inspectorate is in Sutton Coldfield? In planning for the further dispersal of civil servants, after the recommendations of the Hardman Report, will the Minister move some of the Alkali Inspectorate into the industrial areas in the Black Country, where they would receive a very warm welcome?

Mr. Griffiths

The hon. Lady has rightly put her finger on the problem, in that one of the firms in this area is actually manufacturing smell. Therefore, there is bound to be a certain amount of odour in the area. I appreciate the problem that the hon. Lady has mentioned. If she were to arrange a site meeting I should be very happy to ask the district alkali inspector to attend. I assure the hon. Lady that the inspector in Sutton Cold-field is less than 15 minutes away by one of the motorways that my right hon. Friend is providing.

Miss Boothroyd

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. What I should really like is for one of the junior Ministers to attend such a meeting.

Mr. Speaker

Order. The content of an answer is not a matter of order.