§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the 35W achievements of the United Kingdom's presidency of the European Community Council of Ministers in respect of environment matters.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI chaired the Council of Environment Ministers during the United Kingdom Presidency. At our meeting on 24 November the Council reached agreement on three important directives—motorcycle noise, environmental pollution by asbestos, and the disposal of waste oil. Two other measures, on animal experimentation and on the exchange of information about water quality, were formally adopted. We also adopted resolutions on the Rhine pollution incidents and the fourth environment action programme. Good progress was made on other subjects under discussion. Details of the Council were given in my reply of 27 November 1986 to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Staffordshire.
The United Kingdom also hosted a successful meeting of the steering committee for the European Year of the Environment in London on 8 December.
A full list of United Kingdom Presidency achievements will be placed in the Library of the House.