§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors he considered when he decided to transfer Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution local authority unit to Department of Environment control; what functions the unit will undertake in the future; how long he intends to maintain the unit at its current staffing levels; and whether there are any plans to wind up the unit.
§ Mr. TrippierThe local authority unit was transferred from Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution to the air quality division of my Department on 1 April this year, the date on which part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 came into force. This was because the air quality division oversees implementation by local authorities of their new air pollution controls under part I of the Act, whereas HMIP is the central enforcing authority for integrated pollution control. There is close liaison between air quality division and HMIP.
The unit will continue to work on the preparation of guidance notes for processes prescribed for local authority air pollution control and will be responsible for regular review of the guidance. The unit will also continue to act as a pool of technical expertise and general advice in relation to the air pollution controls of part I of the Act. Staffing levels will be reviewed at the end of this year when the 78 process guidance notes have been completed. There are no plans to wind up the unit.