§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to follow up the findings of the Warren Springs report on acid rain; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe report by the review group on acid deposition in the United Kingdom was published on 9 January and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
The report provides a thorough and detailed account of present knowledge on the extent of acid deposition in this country. It shows that in high rainfall areas of the United Kingdom the deposition of acidity in rain is similar to that found in sensitive areas of Scandinavia and North America, and that at most locations much of this deposition occurs on only a few days. The report recommends more extensive and better defined measurements of acid deposition, and further studies to improve our knowledge of transport mechanisms and chemical reactions in the atmosphere and of deposition processes.
The Government broadly accept the review group's conclusions and in particular the need for additional monitoring to give a full picture of the geographical distribution of deposition in the United Kingdom and of the trends. Provision for some additional monitoring had already been made as part of my Department's plans for a substantial increase in our acid deposition research in 1984–85; much of this research relates to the environmental effects of acid deposition. However a number of organisations are involved in the monitoring arrangements and consultation is needed before the response to the report's recommendations can be decided in detail. This work is in progress and will be completed as quickly as possible.
The report represents a valuable addition to our understanding of the problem of acid deposition and I have written to the chairman of the review group to express my appreciation.