§ 80. Mr. GroundTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is Britain's record on infraction proceedings arising from European Community environment directives; and what are the comparable figures for other Community countries.
§ Mr. TrippierAccording to figures published for the first time this year by the European Commission, as at 31 December 1989 the number of current infraction proceedings against each member state on environmental matters was as follows:
Number Spain 57 Belgium 47 Greece 45 France 41 Italy 40 United Kingdom 31 Federal Republic of Germany 29 Netherlands 24 Ireland 21 Portugal 14 Luxembourg 12 Denmark 5 These figures cover all stages of proceedings for alleged failure to comply with treaty obligations, including letters of notice. A number of the cases recorded against the United Kingdom have since been terminated.
There are just two cases against the United Kingdom which have been brought by the Commission to the European Court of Justice, both of which have yet to be heard. According to the Commission, the comparable figures for other member states are as follows:
278W
Number FRG 8 Belgium 7 France 7 Italy 7 Greece 3 Spain 3 Nethelands 2 Luxembourg 1 Denmark 0 Ireland 0 Portugal 0