§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out Her Majesty's Government's reservations expressed in regard to the European Commission proposal to the Council on COM (90) 319 final on the gathering of regular official statistics on the environment.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory[ holding answer 12 November 1990]: The Government support in principle the Commission's proposal to establish a formal programme for the regular collection of official statistics on the environment to inform Community environmental policy. There are a number of important areas which the Government wish to clarify in refining the details of the proposal. These include:
- (a) The relationship between this proposed programme to be implemented by the Statistical Office of the European Communities, that of the European environment agency when operational, and those of other international organisations such as the OECD, needs thorough examination in order to avoid duplication of effort.
- (b) Member states should be given a greater management role in shaping the scope and direction of the programme.
- (c) A clearer distinction should be made between information that could be gathered in the short term and aims for more comprehensive data gathering in the longer term.
- (d) Proposals for any new surveys or extensions to existing surveys need a clear assessment of the costs, benefits and the possible burdens on industry.