§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support the recent proposals made by Dr. Mostafa Tolba for a package of international legal measures to secure that governments notify each other of chemical emergencies threatening transboundary pollution, that they provide each other with help promptly after an accident, and to enable government, industry and community leaders to make preparations for dealing with accidental releases and their consequences.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Skelmersdale)Her Majesty's Government support the objectives of Dr. Tolba's proposals to deal with chemical emergencies, and have already agreed similar measures in the context of the European Community's Directive on the Major Accident Hazards of Certain Industrial Activities (82/501/EEC), known as the Seveso Directive. The subject has attracted the attention of a number of international bodies, and the international community needs to decide collectively where and how the necessary work can best be carried forward. Until details of Dr. Tolba's proposals are submitted for the approval of the Governing Council of the United National Environment Programme, it is premature to pass judgment on them or to compare their merits with other similar proposals for international action.