§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which district offices of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution have closed in the last year, or are scheduled to close in the future.
§ Mr. TrippierThe former district offices in Bristol and Leeds closed in 1990–91 when new regional headquarters offices were opened in those centres. The former district offices in Luton will close shortly following the opening of the new eastern regional headquarters at Bedford. The position on other offices is being reviewed in the light of the Government's proposal to create an environment agency.
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the forecast expenditure for 1991–92 by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution on(a) staff dealing with authorisations and (b) staff undertaking inspection work.
§ Mr. TrippierThe forecast Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution staff—salary related—costs for 1991–92 for dealing with authorisations and registrations, and for carrying out inspection work, are as follows:
£ Authorisation 2,150,000 Inspection 3,275,000
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the forecast expenditure for 1991–92 by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution on research work; and what proportion of this will be(a) undertaken by outside contractors and (b) devoted to radioactive substances work.
§ Mr. TrippierHer Majesty's inspectorate of pollution plans to spend about £8 million on research work in 1991–92. All research is undertaken by outside contractors and about 80 per cent. of the total relates to radioactive waste.