§ Mr. Ronald Atkinsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider setting up an independent agency like the American Environmental Protection Agency; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CroslandAction against pollution in this country rests predominantly at local level within a framework of legislation and guidance from central Government. The system works well, and is better adopted to our circumstances than a central standard-setting body like the Environmental Protection Agency. Recent reports of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution confirm me in this view.