§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what he estimates to be the current total public expenditure devoted directly to antipollution purposes; what this is as a percentage of the gross national product; and what are the equivalent figures for EEC countries, other European countries, United States of America and Japan.
§ Mr. RipponBecause of the difficulties of definition involved the estimate asked for in the first part of the Question cannot be derived or, consequently, expressed as a proportion of gross national product; and valid international comparisons on this basis have not hitherto proved practicable. However, expenditure from public funds and by industry on the control of pollution in the United Kingdom is steadily increasing to meet strict environmental requirements, which compare favourably with those in other countries.