§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement outlining the progress made to date within the United Kingdom in implementing the UN Commission for Europe convention on long-range transboundary air pollution relating to nitrogen oxides.
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§ Mr. MacleanUnder the 1988 Sofia protocol to the convention, the United Kingdom is committed to bringing emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) back down t o their 1987 levels by 1994. Measures being taken which will help to meet this target include the implementation of tough new emissions standards for most road vehicles, of the new controls on industrial emissions under part 1 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and of the EC large combustion plants directive. Further details are given in the Environment White Paper 1990, "This Common Inheritance" (Cm 1200), and the first and second year reports of the Paper (Cm 1655 and 2068), copies of which are in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress made by his Department in fulfilling the obligations on emission levels imposed by the EC large combustion plants directive.
§ Mr. MacleanMy Department has recently sent emission figures for 1991 to the European Commission, reporting on progress under the EC large combustion plants directive, which requires reductions in sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions—the major contributors to acid deposition—from existing large combustion plants. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library of the House. The figures show that the UK is meeting its national plan for reducing emissions of SO2 and NOx from existing plants. The figures also
Average 98th percentile of sulphur dioxide concentrations in each of the local authorities having derogation in respect of the European Community Directive 80/779/EEC Local authority 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Allerdale 58 49 45 51 58 63 69 43 33 32 45 20 Barnsley 170 302 184 172 154 143 135 134 141 149 142 169 Bassetlaw 156 184 101 137 119 141 177 98 81 92 60 125 Blyth Valley 144 113 116 161 126 111 118 128 91 74 75 * Bolsover 133 * * * * 134 197 149 148 130 163 168 Bradford 139 187 163 179 120 110 122 125 97 90 115 107 Cannock Chase 157 199 158 160 134 102 91 44 144 116 159 123 Castle Morpeth 92 94 156 158 107 105 75 66 94 * * * Chesterfield 95 94 57 55 57 60 53 49 56 38 42 44 Copeland 110 120 99 74 93 74 68 50 55 50 48 26 Crewe and Nantwich 105 184 98 138 118 103 85 79 117 35 39 74 Doncaster 198 285 176 199 155 199 138 133 115 104 114 128 Kirklees 154 233 144 156 148 139 130 139 104 117 111 121 Mansfield 197 258 168 200 160 177 147 156 135 124 152 162 Newark 138 184 142 155 121 139 138 136 147 105 63 204 Newcastle under Lyme 163 157 167 150 152 136 129 109 55 88 91 93 Nottingham 163 209 139 166 145 130 116 149 108 97 100 94 Rotherham 156 257 179 198 155 151 153 140 123 126 143 183 Staffordshire Moorlands * * 117 177 135 109 89 91 84 89 82 96 Sunderland 111 225 124 146 106 119 125 100 94 112 120 87 Wakefield 164 244 172 173 140 146 155 142 127 103 106 151 Wansbeck 157 219 136 124 126 85 94 88 20 49 55 90 Cunninghame 79 121 87 64 54 57 59 67 46 25 23 * Falkirk 107 110 95 94 91 83 85 76 * 106 68 71 Glasgow 145 175 107 96 102 82 101 68 62 82 74 63 Strathkelvin 103 158 111 110 92 90 85 72 56 67 68 57 Belfast 79 104 93 129 198 169 210 179 154 195 229 179 Derry 148 148 122 81 122 95 88 68 55 114 89 72 Newry and Mourne 78 147 108 113 85 105 62 59 122 120 75 50 (The figures represent the average 98th percentile of all daily mean concentrations, in micrograms per cubic metre, taken throughout the year from all the monitoring stations in each local authority area.)
834Windicate that the UK is on course to meeting the directive's target of a 20 per cent. cut in SO2 and a 15 per cent. cut in NOx by 1993.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps are currently being undertaken by his Department to improve the accuracy of data relating to emissions of volatile organic compounds in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. MacleanOne of the principal objectives of my Department's air quality research programme is to improve the accuracy of data on volatile organic compound emissions in the United Kingdom, Warren Spring Laboratory and the National Physical Laboratory have been contracted to work on sources and emissions of volatile organic compounds and options for their abatement. The university of Leeds has been contracted to provide information on the impacts of individual VOCs on ozone production.
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authority areas granted derogations on ground level concentrations of sulphur dioxide and smoke in respect of EC directive 80/779; and what are the levels of(a) sulphur dioxide and (b) smoke concentrations in each such area, expressed in micrograms per cubic metre, in each year since 1980.
§ Mr. MacleanThe information is as follows:
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Average 98th percentile of black smoke concentrations in each of the local authorities having derogation in respect of the European Community Directive 80/779/EEC Local authority 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Allerdale 71 108 53 47 50 75 94 79 47 67 55 55 Barnsley 164 341 161 181 126 139 130 125 130 111 110 143 Bassetlaw 113 183 101 114 92 118 153 95 134 106 56 119 Blyth Valley 166 249 195 194 99 161 106 115 72 81 117 * Bolsover 87 * * * * 85 177 152 114 99 91 95 Bradford 66 109 57 73 66 55 57 70 52 30 64 74 Cannock Chase 127 271 162 171 164 209 196 96 168 120 117 96 Castle Morpeth 65 80 266 210 146 203 73 75 64 46 * * Chesterfield 88 162 80 78 88 60 58 27 12 9 8 8 Copeland 174 302 134 173 * 82 121 91 104 85 54 28 Crewe and Nantwich 78 176 93 133 116 112 129 106 103 105 122 45 Doncaster 172 280 186 155 100 160 110 147 111 109 90 108 Kirklees 68 146 79 82 76 82 82 112 66 91 73 75 Mansfield 135 237 142 136 108 106 80 96 87 110 102 120 Newark 96 179 136 104 107 113 165 116 133 65 30 130 Newcastle under Lyme 114 145 100 126 97 100 97 82 26 75 72 58 Nottingham 79 124 96 104 71 70 88 73 56 76 35 82 Rotherham 133 221 148 139 116 106 102 118 87 124 114 127 Staffordshire Moorlands * * 144 166 103 121 112 115 155 81 89 125 Sunderland 117 203 128 162 100 172 138 186 99 143 112 Wakefield 128 247 173 148 118 147 121 141 109 86 78 109 Wansbeck 215 254 189 169 148 146 148 124 41 45 74 64 Cunninghame 64 110 65 58 44 53 50 61 36 21 18 * Falkirk 68 143 92 81 60 87 82 64 * 70 37 51 Glasgow 82 185 94 75 86 70 80 72 65 144 80 66 Strathkelvin 106 271 167 144 83 94 100 152 67 178 71 83 Belfast 133 206 115 93 121 113 113 128 123 160 202 122 Derry 89 118 124 129 178 132 137 85 131 64 89 88 Newry and Mourne 119 404 195 199 310 204 171 * * 344 211 147 (The figures represent the average 98th percentile of all daily mean concentrations, in micrograms per cubic metre, taken throughout the year from all the monitoring stations in each local authority area.)
§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement outlining the work undertaken by his Department resulting from the report and maps published by the United Kingdom critical costs advisory group in March.
§ Mr. MacleanThe report and maps published by the United Kingdom Critical Loads Advisory Group are being used by the Department to provide a scientific basis for the evaluation of air pollution emission control scenarios and the evolution of cost-effective emission control policies.