§ Dr. Michael ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidance he has issued to the Local Government Commission in relation to the public analyst service;
(2) what representations he has received about the future of local authority scientific services or about the public analyst service in regard to the work of the Local Government Commission and future reorganisation of local government; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what guidance he has issued to the Local Government Commission in relation to the provision of local authority scientific services.
§ Mr. Donald AndersonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidance he has issued to the Local Government Commission in relation to the public analyst service;
(2) what guidance he has issued to the Local Government Commission in relation to the provision of local authority scientific services.
§ Mr. Robin SquireIn response to the 1991 consultation paper on local government structure, representations were received from the Association of Public Analysts as well as from other organisations such as the Institute of Environmental Health Officers and the Society of County Trading Standards Officers.
The policy guidance issued to the Local Government Commission emphasises the importance of regulatory and enforcement functions of local authorities. We have also issued to the commission a new comprehensive descriptive list of all local government functions, which is publicly available. This contains chapters on environmental protection, environmental health and consumer protection.
The commission must ensure that all functions, particularly those which involve protecting all aspects of the local environment, will be satisfactorily performed by any new authority it recommends.