§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he received the latest consultants report on the environmental and health consequences of the Rechem incineration plant at Pontypool, commissioned by his Department; how many copies of the report have been printed; to whom they have been made available; and if he will make a statement on its conclusions.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe latest report on further monitoring of PCB levels around the Rechem plant in Pontypool was published on 10 March. Eighty copies were printed and distribution included the four local MPs; the chairman of the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs; the European Commission; Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution; the Health and Safety Executive; Rechem; Torfaen borough council and other local interests. Copies have also been placed in the Library of the House.
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State indicated in his recent letter to the hon. Member, the report generally confirms results obtained in the main study. The area of higher concentrations of PCBs and dioxins previously 802W identified near the Rechem plant has also been narrowed down to a strip of land about 200 m wide to the east of the plant.