§ Mr. BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusion the Government had reached, in regard to their announcement in the White Paper "The Health of the Nation", about the creation of an Institute for the Environment and Health; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. YeoThe Medical Research Council has agreed in principle to establish an institute at its interdisciplinary research centre on mechanisms of human toxicity at the university of Leicester. It will be jointly supported by my Department and by the Department of Health. The institute will act as a focal point on research into the links between environmental quality and health. We expect it will also have a role in supporting Government in international programmes in this field.
The institute will complement, but not impinge on, areas already covered by other Government Departments or other statutory agencies. These include the Health and Safety Executive, which has statutory responsibilities relating to exposures from work activities, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, whose responsibilities include agricultural chemicals and food safety.