§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what response he plans to make to the petition handed to him by his Norwegian counterpart in Oslo on 14 June, from Norwegian citizens urging Her Majesty's Government to cut acid rain deposits over Scandinavia arising from discharges in the United Kingdom.
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§ Mr. AtkinsIn Oslo on 14 June, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State signed the second United Nations Commission for Europe sulphur protocol, which commits the United Kingdom to reducing emissions of sulphur dioxide by 80 per cent. compared with 1980 levels by 2010. This will not only deal substantially with problems of acidification in the United Kingdom but will also bring about significant improvements for our European neighbours.
While he was in Oslo, my right hon. Friend met representatives of the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature, to receive their petition, and of Councillors Against Acid Rain. He explained the significant reductions in sulphur emissions which the United Kingdom has already achieved and the new obligations to achieve further reductions which we have accepted.