European Year of the Environment (Hansard, 15 July 1987)

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, the Government are providing more than £750,000 in direct support for the European Year of the Environment in the United Kingdom, as well as sponsoring a range of projects. This is evidence of our genuine commitment to the year and its aims.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that helpful reply. Does he agree that for a maritime island nation the prevention of marine pollution is of the first importance? Moreover, does he also agree that the conference arranged to make the European Year by the international organisation based in Britain called the Advisory Committee on Pollution of the Sea is likely to make substantial advances in that direction?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, we welcome and support the work of the Advisory Committee on Pollution of the Sea in the field of marine pollution specifically mentioned by my noble friend. In the current year the Department of the Environment will be contributing £2,500 towards the organisation's annual running costs and, exceptionally, a further £2,500 towards the international conference which it is sponsoring this October.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, does the Minister recall that the three areas highlighted by the UK committee for the year include pollution control and waste. Can the Minister say in that context whether the Government have any plans to control the importation of waste which is worrying a great number of people in this country?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, it is not possible to control the importation of waste until we have a transfrontier directive. This we have not yet succeeded in obtaining.

§ Lord Craigton
My Lords, will my noble friend ensure that Britain plays a leading part in European Community policies with regard to CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and with regard to the Berne convention? Will he here at home do everything he 1034 can to preserve the sanctity of our green belt and the purity of our rivers?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, the United Kingdom continues to play a full part as a member of the Community in negotiations to control the production and use of CFCs. I am hopeful that international agreement will be reached at the Montreal Conference in September on the necessary protocol to the Vienna Convention. Green belts and the purity of rivers are matters which are very much in our mind.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, on that question, can the Minister tell the House what attitude the British Government took at the EC meeting on 21st and 22nd May when the question of the reduction in the production of CFCs was raised? Have the British Government opposed the proposal of the United States Government to reduce that production by 50 per cent.?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, I have to admit to the noble Lord that I do not know the answer to his final question. However, what I do know is that the United Kingdom has been portrayed as being unhelpful with regard to CFCs. That is untrue. We are, as I said at the beginning of my answer to my noble friend Lord Craigton, playing a full part as a member of the Community in negotiations on these matters. I am hopeful that there will be international agreement on a new protocol at the Montreal Conference.

§ Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran
My Lords, is the Minister able to say either now or later whether any of the grants to which he referred will be directed to the very fine international work being undertaken by the Institution of Environmental Engineers in this country?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, I must have notice of that question. There are about 2,000 projects which are benefiting from the grant aid which is coming from the Government. There is a list to which I shall have to refer and write to him.

Lord Chelwood
My Lords, I should like to ask my noble friend a question about the Community's birds directive, British compliance with which, as one would expect, is excellent. Is he aware that the directive is almost totally ignored in France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and in other parts of the world, and that birds are killed by the million involving methods of the utmost cruelty? Will my noble friend do his utmost to try to persuade our Community partners to comply with the law?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that question and for being good enough to say that the record of the United Kingdom Government in this matter is a good one. Perhaps it is no coincidence that we receive advice on these issues from the statutory advisers, the Nature Conservancy Council, and until not so long ago my noble friend who is asking me the question was a distinguished member of the NCC.
1035 Yes, indeed, the Government will do their best to try to persuade our Community colleagues to see matters in the same way with regard to that directive.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, as the noble Lord does not have the information to answer my question, may I ask him to write to me stating clearly the position of the British Government at the meeting on 21st and 22nd May of the European Community with regard to CFCs in relation to the proposals made by other countries? Perhaps he will put a copy of that letter in the Library.

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, yes, I shall be delighted to do that.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, will the British Government draw attention in particular to the advantages of recycling waste materials where that is practicable?

§ Lord Belstead
My Lords, there is a certain amount of recycling going on in this country, mainly of glass and paper. I think that we all believe that more ought to be done and we shall certainly try to encourage it.