§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to the Government's welcome for the charter for the 1980s for disabled people world-wide, what recent studies his Department has undertaken into the costs to the country of disabilities caused by pollution of air and water; whether such costs have been weighed against the benefits of preventive actions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawResearch into the health effects of air and water pollutants in the general environment is mainly the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Security and my own Department has not studied these items in particular. But over the past 30 years air pollution concentrations in the United Kingdom have been reduced to a level at which no adverse health effects attributable to air pollution alone can be detected; and we have no reason to suppose that disabilities can be directly attributed to water supplies either.