§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will include in membership of the cement industry working party a person of independent standing to offer advice on pollution limits from industrial processes. [2913]
§ Mr. ClappisonHer Majesty's inspectorate of pollution does not use working parties to draft guidance on pollution limits from industrial processes. Consultants are appointed to provide an independent international overview of up-to-date pollution control techniques. This forms the basis for HMIP guidance which is then subjected to wide consultation across a broad spectrum of consultees, many of which are independent of the industry concerned, before publication.
The guidance does not set statutory pollution limits, but provides benchmarks of current best practices within the industrial sector.