§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken within the last three years to bring closer together the uniform standards adopted by a number of European nations and the United Kingdom's environmental quality objectives.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIt was agreed at the Bremen North sea conference that both the environmental quality objective and the uniform standards approaches to the control of discharges can be effective and sufficient measures to protect the marine environment. Since that time, the efficacy of the two approaches has been considered within the Paris Commission and will be considered again at next year's London conference on the North sea. The topic is also likely to be reconsidered with the European Commission's fourth environmental action programme. The Government are currently considering their response to the suggestions made by the House of Lords Select Committee on European Committees concerning the unification of the two approaches.
§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the studies commissioned or completed for Her Majesty's Government in the last three years which compare the environmental quality objective approach to water quality management with the uniform emmission standard approach.
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§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Department has sponsored one such study. It is mainly concerned with the implementation of the cadmium directive (1983/513/EEC) in England and Wales. The findings of the report are currently being considered.