§ Lord Molloyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will arrange for inspections to be undertaken into alleged high levels of cancer-causing dioxins from waste incinerators in towns across Britain and if high levels are discovered what action they will take.
§ The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Viscount Ullswater)Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution for England and Wales and Her Majesty's Industrial Pollution Inspectorate for Scotland authorise waste incineration processes under Part 1 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Integrated Pollution Control). The conditions contained within an authorisation are enforced via a combination of regular monitoring and inspections. Should high levels of dioxins be detected in releases from waste incinerators—ie., in excess of those specified in the authorizations—then appropriate action would be taken to ensure that releases are within authorised limits.