§ Mr. FauldsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce regulations requiring local authorities to provide warnings by notice or broadcast in the areas concerned that pesticide spraying is to take place.
§ Mr. BaldryUnder the Control of Pesticides Regulations, all pesticide products must be approved by Ministers of six Government Departments, including my own, before they can be sold, supplied, stored, used or advertised. Appropriate conditions are attached to the approvals which, if followed, will ensure safe use of the pesticide. For example, some pesticides have specified re-entry times before which members of the public, or other unprotected individuals, should not be allowed access to treated areas.
In addition to the specific controls through the approvals scheme, there are more general controls through the consents of the regulations. It is, for example, a requirement that the users of pesticides take all reasonable precautions to protect the health of human beings. This is not specified in a precise way because the user is best able to judge what is needed in the specific circumstances of his particular pesticide use. In some cases warning notices may be appropriate; in others they may be unnecessary, in yet others they may be inadequate if used alone.
I am not aware of any considerations that would justify another layer of control of the kind suggested.