§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times, and at which sites, the World Health Organisation one-hour air quality guideline for sulphur dioxide was breached in the United Kingdom in(a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992 and (d) 1993; and what evaluation his Department has undertaken of the potential effect of regulations to ban the sale of high sulphur solid fuel and to control the sale of unauthorised fuels in smoke control areas, to reduce levels of sulphur dioxide to meet World Health Organisation one-hour guidelines.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe potential effect of regulations to ban the sale of high sulphur solid fuels and to control the sale of unauthorised fuels in smoke control areas has been considered against the statutory air quality standards for smoke and sulphur dioxide under the EC directive 80/779/EEC, and provisions of the Clean Air Act 1993. Since 1990, only one site in the United Kingdom has breached the directive's limit value for sulphur dioxide. Over the same period, exceedances of the lower World 969W Health Organisation one-hour guideline, which is a management indicator, not a statutory limit, were as follows:
Number of hours >122 parts per billion Site 1990 1991 1992 11993 Stevenage 1 1 Central London 1 Cromwell Road, London 26 15 16 8 Bridge Place, London 2 6 15 7 Ladybower, Derbyshire 7 12 12 Belfast, East 173 271 213 146 Bircotes, Nottinghamshire 27 15 Featherstone, W. Yorkshire 8 18 Rugeley, Staffordshire 28 34 Barnsley 75 166 213 Sunderland 5 1 Bloomsbury, London 9 11 Edinburgh 4 Cardiff 2 1 Belfast, Centre 53 73 Birmingham 5 6 Newcastle 6 1 Leeds 8 Bristol 1 Liverpool 19 1Provisional data.