§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the number of times the hourly and daily averages of concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide and ozone in the atmosphere have exceeded the safety thresholds set by EC directives 92/72/EEC, 89/427/EEC, 88/76/EEC, 84/360/ EEC and the Air Quality Standards Regulations 1989 in the cities of Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne, Leicester, Southampton and Kingston upon Hull since January 1991.
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 2 April 1993]: Limits provided in EC air quality directives for smoke and sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide have been breached in the United Kingdom since January 1991 only in the case of smoke and sulphur dioxide in Belfast, for which there was a temporary derogation until 31 March this year. Directive 92/72/EEC sets public information levels rather than limit values, for ozone. Monitoring for ozone in cities other than London is at an early stage, but preliminary tests suggest that the levels specified are not likely to be exceeded in urban centres. EC legislation does not prescribe any limit values or thresholds for ambient concentrations of carbon monoxide.