HC Deb 14 November 1989 vol 160 cc129-30W
Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money has been spent from 1987 to the current year by Her Majesty's Government on monitoring air pollution by(a) nitrogen oxides and their reaction with hydrocarbons, (b) sulphur dioxide and (c) lead pollution; and what information he has on the comparable expenditure of other European Community states.

Mr. Trippier

United Kingdom Government expenditure on monitoring nitrogen oxides (NOx) and the products of their reaction with gaseous hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide and lead between 1987–88 and 1989–90 was as follows:

£k.
1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
(a) Nitrogen oxides and their reaction with hydrocarbons
NO2 directive network 131.0 115.0 117.5
Rural ozone-NOx network 538.2 435.0 435.0
Total 669.2 550.0 552.5
(b) Sulphur dioxide
SO2-smoke directive network 159.0 164.0 183.0
SO2 rural network 45.9 48.8 50.0
Acid deposition network 634.0 496.0 421.0
Total 838.9 708.8 654.0
(c) Lead
Total: all lead networks 44.2 43.6 44.2
1987–88 1988–89 1989–90
(d) Preparation of emission inventories for NOx, volatile organic hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide, lead and other pollutants
87.8 98.0 106.0
Grand totals 1,640.1 1,400.4 1,356.7

There is no internationally agreed database on European Community expenditure for pollution monitoring.

Expenditure on a monitoring network is normally greater in the initial years while it is being established than later when it is operating routinely.