§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to receive the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment's report on financial and civil liability; when he expects to respond to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities' 1990 report on liability and environmental damage; what reports and proposals he expects to receive from the EC and the Council of Europe on liability for environmental damage; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanWe expect to receive the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment's report on civil liability shortly. I understand that the European Commission proposes to issue a consultation document on civil liability for environmental damage in the new year. It is not clear at this stage what effect this will have on the draft directive on civil liability for damage caused by waste, which was presented by the Commission in 1991. The Council of Europe has prepared a convention on civil liability on which the negotiations have recently been completed. I am not aware of any outstanding responses to the House of Lords Select Committee on European Affairs regarding liability for environmental damage.