§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the environmental impact assessments and the results of consultations undertaken with local interest groups and communities for the British aid-funded Urumqi petrochemical complex, Xinjiang Province, China, announced on 10 September 1992.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd[holding answer 2 April 1993]: ODA commissioned an environmental assessment by a specialist consultant in 1991. On the basis of that assessment ODA has allocated aid funds to assist with the establishment of up-to-date environmental protection and safety standards.
Environmental impact assessments cover issues of potential sensitivity to overseas Governments and material which is commercial in confidence; they are not made generally available.