HC Deb 12 March 1992 vol 205 cc647-8W
Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department will publish the results of the recent national nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube air pollution survey.

Mr. Trippier

I hope these will be available by the end of next month.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been his response to the complaint by Commissioner Ripa di Meana in the European Parliament of 27 November 1991 regarding the adequacy of the United Kingdom air pollution monitoring network.

Mr. Trippier

Signor Ripa di Meana's remarks related to the United Kingdom network for monitoring nitrogen dioxide for purposes of European Community directive 85/203/EEC. They were made in answer to a question in the European Parliament and were not addressed to the Government. The basis on which monitoring sites were selected for this purpose has been explained to the Commission in previous correspondence.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times, and where, the EC directive limits for nitrogen dioxide have been breached since 1980.

Mr. Trippier

The EC directive on nitrogen dioxide has been breached once at the west London monitoring site in 1989, in exceptional circumstances which were not truly representative of local air quality.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the planned enhanced urban network will meet the regulations of the EC directive 85/203/EEC for monitoring nitrogen dioxide.

Mr. Trippier

In the Government's view the existing arrangements for monitoring nitrogen dioxide already comply with the requirements of the directive. The enhancement of the urban monitoring network will however usefully supplement the data currently available on concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and a range of other air pollutants.