§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means Her Majesty's Government intends to evaluate the relative importance of new evidence in respect of the effects of practices which give rise to exposure to ionising radiation as is required under Article 6 (iii) of the Basic Safety Standards Directive covering radiation exposures, Council Directive 96/29/Euratom, 13 May 1996. [61970]
§ Mr. MeacherI have been asked to reply.
I believe this question is intended to refer to Article 6 (ii) of Directive 96/29/Euratom. The Department is preparing an administrative note describing the way that decisions will be taken by the responsible Secretaries of State under Articles 6 (i) and (ii) of the Directive. The note will be published in due course.
The responsible Secretary of State will, in accordance with Article 6 (ii) of the Directive, consider whether a review of an existing class or type of practice should be carried out whenever new and important evidence about its efficacy or consequences is acquired.
The responsible Secretary of State will assess very carefully any information which comes to his or her attention which suggests that a review of justification may be appropriate. If the responsible Secretary of State decides to undertake a review, interested bodies and members of the public will be invited to comment on the Secretary of State's initial assessment of whether the class or type of practice continues to be justified. Any representations made to the responsible Secretary of State either about the case for carrying out a review or about whether a class or type of practice continues to be justified will be very carefully considered before a final decision is reached.
Fire Standard Spending Assessment (£ per head) Authority 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Avon 23.83 24.78 25.64 26.74 27.79 29.57 Bedfordshire and Luton 20.72 21.93 22.76 23.50 24.72 25.72 Buckinghamshire 20.13 21.13 21.91 22.29 23.73 24.52 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 19.67 21.07 21.92 22.56 23.38 24.07 Cheshire 21.51 22.70 23.12 23.58 24.98 25.73 Cleveland 36.00 37.74 38.95 39.95 41.72 43.58 Cornwall 23.44 24.84 25.62 26.27 27.65 28.30 County Durham and Darlington 23.03 24.09 24.86 25.77 26.72 27.06