§ 11. Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department intends to take to prevent the importation of poisonous wastes from neighbouring European countries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. KingConsignments of industrial waste imported into storage in recent months have indicated that some provisions of the Control of Pollution Act, including those governing temporary storage, may not be working as intended. They are therefore being reviewed. I have also had inquiries made of the Dutch authorities and await their response.
§ Mr. HooleyIs it not absurd that our so-called friends in Europe should ship their highly dangerous phenolic wastes to Britain? Will the hon. Gentleman deal with the riff-raff fly-by-night countries—which are trying to make money out of polluting the environment—instead of constantly attacking local authorities, which have to keep the environment clean?
§ Mr. KingThat is an extremely misleading supplementary to ask on a serious matter. The vast bulk of those wastes are not "highly dangerous". They are a nuisance and should not be here. I understand that some of them were not properly declared. I cannot comment further, because, as the hon. Gentleman knows, there is the possibility of a prosecution being brought. We are anxious to ensure that goods entering Britain are properly described. If they are described as "goods in trade", that is what they should be, and not waste.