HC Deb 30 January 1991 vol 184 cc930-1
7. Ms. Quin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what matters will be discussed at the next meeting of the EC Environment Council.

Mr. Trippier

The agenda for the next Environment Council in March will be a matter for the presidency, currently held by Luxembourg. The agenda has yet to be fixed, but we expect the discussions to include proposals on sewage treatment, diesel engine emissions, dangerous chemicals, the movement of hazardous waste and a labelling scheme for environmentally friendly products.

Ms. Quin

Will Ministers be setting a date for the introduction of an environmental labelling scheme to help consumers? Does the Minister recall the commitment made in the House in March last year by the previous Secretary of State that, if agreement had not been reached at the end of 1990, the Government would go ahead with a national scheme? As no date has been set by the European Community, when will the Government bring in the national scheme that they promised?

Mr. Trippier

The hon. Lady will have heard me mention in my substantive answer that this matter will be on the agenda of the next Council meeting. I welcome that, as I am sure she will. It is true that my right hon. Friend asssured the House that, in the event of a European scheme's not being brought forward by the end of this year—

Mr. Cryer

Last year.

Mr. Trippier

—this year—we certainly intend to introduce a national scheme. I stand by what my right hon. Friend said.

Mr. Robert B. Jones

Will my hon. Friend ensure that, during the discussion on sewage treatment, attention is paid to the discriminatory nature of the Commission in its legal actions against member states? For example, why has no action been taken against the Italian Government, despite the fact that all sewage from the city of Milan goes straight into the Po and out to sea, or has it something to do with the fact that the Commissioner is an Italian?

Mr. Trippier

I am more than a little concerned about this matter. There seems to be a lack of fairness in comparisons between member states. There certainly seems to be a very different way of collecting the statistics that are supposed to be made available to the Commission and an incredible delay in sending those statistics from certain member states. My hon. Friend would not expect me to name a particular country, but I listened carefully to what he said.

Much of the problem would be cleared up if we could set up the European Environment Agency. At the previous Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels I made it clear that the sooner we have that environmental agency the better, so that we can have a common statistics-gathering service. That would enable us to make fair comparisons so that prosecutions emanating from Brussels could be a little fairer. I strongly object to the fact that the Commission is sending letters to member states, possibly threatening prosecution, when the building from which they come is built on an open sewer, which would never be allowed in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Beggs

Will the Minister ask the Secretary of State to take the opportunity when the Council next meets to draw attention to the serious problem in Northern Ireland of harmful emissions from power stations and the urgent necessity to have access to natural gas to reduce such harmful emissions?

Mr. Trippier

I am pleased to give that assurance.