§ 36. Mr. Alex Carlileasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that potential environmental hazards, including those of nuclear pollution, are being satisfactorily monitored and publicised.
§ Mr. WaldegraveYes. A number of Government Departments are involved in monitoring environmental quality, as are water authorities and local authorities. Numerous firms monitor around their own works, and many research programmes carried out by universities and Government laboratories also provide monitoring information.
My Department publishes the annual "Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics" which comments on the trends revealed by major environmental monitoring schemes, including those covering air pollution, water pollution and radioactivity. This publication also describes the major monitoring schemes in place.