§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which laboratories of the National Rivers Authority are scheduled for(a) market testing and (b) closure.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe market testing and closure of its laboratories is primarily a management matter for the National Rivers Authority, which advises me that:
- (a) all NRA's 11 chemical laboratories were subject to an internal review of cost-effectiveness and efficiency; and
- (b) as a result, the NRA laboratories at Caernarfon Carlisle, Peterborough, Warrington and Washington have been closed and the work transferred to the NRA laboratories at Exeter, Leeds, Llanelli, Nottingham, Reading and Waterlooville.