§ Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Billericay of 14 December 1989,Official Report, column 754 if Her Majesty's Government intend to take additonal powers to require companies and individuals to provide information on environmental matters.
§ Mr. TrippierIn terms of the United Kingdom's contribution to the proposed European Environment Agency, Her Majesty's Government do not intend to take additional powers to require companies and individuals to provide information on environmental matters. The aim, shared by our Community partners, is to improve the co-ordination and comparability of existing information in a spirit of free co-operation to inform and support Community environmental policy. Any requests by the agency for new information will be subject to contractual agreements between the agency and the relevant contributors or individuals involved.