§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how the United Kingdom will be represented at the 21 and 22 September meeting of the Paris commission.
§ Mr. MacleanI shall be representing the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at this meeting, together with officials from my Department, the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and the Department of Trade and Industry.
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which substances the United Kingdom expects to agree completely to eliminate from discharges to water in the United Kingdom, at or as a result of the 21 and 22 September meeting of the Paris commission.
§ Mr. MacleanNone.
§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on proposals from other countries regarding the complete elimination of certain substances in discharges to water, at or as a result of the 21 and 22 meeting of the Paris commission.
§ Mr. MacleanThe major business of the meeting is the agreement of a new convention concerning the protection of the marine environment in the north-east Atlantic which will replace the existing Oslo and Paris conventions. There are also a number of recommendations to be considered, but none calls for the complete elimination of substances in discharges to water.
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§ Mrs. Ann TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress the United Kingdom has made in eliminating discharges to water of substances controlled under agreements of the Paris commission; and if he will publish such data.
§ Mr. MacleanThe United Kingdom has made good progress in implementing Paris commission decisions and recommendations. At the ministerial meeting of the Oslo and Paris commissions being held in September a number of reports will be published on their activities and these will give details of the data submitted by the United Kingdom.