§ 105. Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking in the light of the report of the quality of urban air review group to integrate local authority monitoring efforts with the national air quality monitoring network; and what additional funds he will make available to assist local authorities in undertaking quality assured monitoring.
§ Mr. MacleanThe report has only been published very recently, and we are studying its recommendations. We 235W had however already concluded that better integration between the national and local monitoring networks was needed. In the White Paper, "This Common Inheritance: The Second Year Report", we announced our intention of issuing a discussion paper on the subject this year. Meanwhile, the quality assurance and quality control procedures for urban air quality monitoring which are being developed under my Department's research programme will be a significant contribution in kind to local authorities' monitoring work.