§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if, in view of public interest, he will make a statement giving details of the recommendations made by the Beaver Committee on Air Pollution.
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§ Mr. SandysThe Final Report of the Committee on Air Pollution, presided over by Sir Hugh Beaver, will be published tomorrow (Thursday) and will be available to hon. Members in the Vote Office.
The Pollution of the atmosphere in this country is an evil of long standing. As the Report shows, the air around us is being persistently contaminated by all kinds of smoke, grit, dust and gases, emitted from domestic chimneys, factories, power-stations, locomotives, ships, road vehicles and other sources. It is not, therefore, surprising that the measures needed to tackle effectively this large and many-sided problem are necessarily complicated and costly and raise important issues of public policy.
The Government are actively considering the Committee's recommendations which, taken together, constitute a comprehensive national "clean-air" policy. I shall be making a further statement in due course. In the meanwhile, the House will wish to join with me in thanking Sir Hugh Beaver and the other members of the Committee for the significant contribution they have made towards the solution of a pressing national problem.