HL Deb 26 October 1988 vol 500 c1697WA
Lord O'Hagan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people have been killed or injured by lead in paint in historic houses in each of the last five years.

The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Caithness)

No comprehensive records of this nature are kept and I am not aware of any deaths or injuries from this specific cause. Nevertheless the Government's policy is to replace lead-based paints with safer alternatives.

Lord O'Hagan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are now in favour of European Community legislation which prevents the continued use of lead in paint for historic houses; if so why, and whether this represents a change of policy; what consultations with environmental heritage and other learned bodies they initiated before changing their policy; what hazards to health are caused by the use of lead in paint in historic buildings and whether they will now make an attempt to alter draft European Community legislation so that historic buildings in the United Kingdom may continue to use paint with lead in it.

The Earl of Caithness

The Government's policy is to reduce man's exposure to lead in the environment, from all sources, wherever it is practicable to do so. The proposal from the Commission of the European Communities to ban the use of certain lead carbonates and lead sulphates as pigments in paint is in line with this policy. We recognise that the heritage bodies see some difficulties in switching to substitutes for lead-based paints and my department has considered the view of, among others, the National Trust, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, English Heritage, the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association and the International Council on Monuments and Sites. Nevertheless, other European countries have already stopped using such paints. Furthermore, we are keen to ensure that the Commission and our Community partners follow our example and take action also against lead driers in paint. Against this background, our continued use of lead pigments in paint is seen as anomalous by other European states. In these circumstances, the Government do not propose to seek a derogation for paint used on historic buildings.