§ Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the main draft directives before the European Community Council of Ministers; what are the main provisions of each; and whether the Government expect any of the drafts to make progress during the period of the British Presidency.
§ Mr. KingThe main draft directives derived from the European Communities' environment action programme which are before the Council of Ministers and their main provisions are as follows:
Draft Directive and Main Provisions
Major Accident Hazards
Establishment of a notification and certification procedure to minimise the risks and consequences of major industrial accidents.Environmental Assessment
Establishment of a form and procedure for the assessment of the environmental effect of certain public and private projects.Mercury Discharges
Establishment of a regime of uniform emission limit values and, for alternative use, a set of environmental quality objectives, for the purpose of controlling aqueous discharges of mercury by the chlor-alkali industry.Lead in Air
Establishment of air quality standards setting out the maximum permissible concentrations for atmospheric lead.Community Implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Draft Regulation)
Establishment of a harmonised procedure for Member States in implementing the provisions of the Convention.Cadmium
Establishment of a regime of uniform emission limit values and, for alternate use, a set of environmental quality objectives for the purpose of controlling the discharge of cadmium into waters by all industrial sectors apart from the manufacture of phosphoric acid from phosphate rock.During the period of our Presidency the Government will endeavour to make progress on those of the above directives on which agreement has not been reached.