§ Mr. Nicholas Bakerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is proposing to take in connection with the implementation of the sixth amendment to EEC directive 64/548/EEC dealing with the protection of the customer and the environment against potential risks which can arise from the placing of new substances on the market.
§ Mr. Giles Shaw:The directive requires that, before a new substance is placed in significant quantities on the market within the European Community, the manufacturer or importer should investigate possible hazards to man and to the environment. The results of the tests carried out by the manufacturer or importer should be notified to the competent authority of the member State where a substance is first manufactured or first imported at least 45 days before the substance is marketed. In the United Kingdom, the competent authority is the Department of the Environment and the Health and Safety Executive, acting jointly. The Department has set up a unit—the chemicals notification unit—to examine and assess the information relating to the possible environmental effects of new substances. A corresponding unit has been established within the HSE, both to receive notifications and to consider the information on worker-user safety. The two units are working closely together.
Regulations to implement the directive are being drawn up under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and the European Communities Act. These will be laid before the House as soon as possible. In the meantime, administrative arrangements have been introduced to allow manufacturers and importers to notify substances in accordance with the directive and thereby facilitate the movement of their goods within the Community.