§ Mr. Stanleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether there has been an increase in complaints about crop spraying affecting private gardens in the last two years; and what action he is taking.
§ Mr. Strang:Any complaints of this kind which reach my Department are referred to the Health and Safety Executive. I am informed that the Executive received a total of 29 such complaints in 1976, 24 in 1977 and 40 up to 24th November of this year. My Departmnet is kept informed of spraying incidents generally, so that cases can be referred to the Advisory Committee on Pesticides if there are any grounds for reviewing the fact or conditions of the clearance of a particular product. We also sponsor research, development and advisory work aimed at imparting greater precision to spray equipment, techniques and practice.