Air Quality

HC Deb 29 June 1992 vol 210 c367W

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to extend and improve the effectiveness of the monitoring of air quality in urban areas.

Mr. Maclean

Plans to expand the geographical coverage of the Department's urban air quality monitoring and the range of pollutants measures were announced in the White Paper "This Common Inheritance". The first phase of the expansion was implemented in January. Five new sites are now in operation: London Bloomsbury, Newcastle centre, Belfast centre, Birmingham centre, and Cardiff. Sites are to follow in Edinburgh, Bristol, Leeds and Liverpool.

Each of these sites monitors SO₂, CO, NO, NO₂, ozone and PM₁₀ on a continuous basis. Air quality bulletins drawing on the results are now available on Ceefax page 196 and on a free telephone call line 0900 556677.