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Global Environmental Research Strategy
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the launch of the UK national strategy for global environmental research; which United Kingdom research institutions will benefit from the strategy; what additional resources have been committed in support of the strategy; and what attempts have been made to publicise the existence of and prospective benefits arising from the strategy. [40398]
Mr. Clappison: The report, 'UK National Strategy for Global Environmental Research', by an expert panel of the inter-agency committee on global environmental change, was publicly launched by the committee chairman, Sir Ronald Oxburgh, on 10 September at the 1996 conference of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition to the targeted dissemination to all United Kingdom organisations and institutions involved with global environmental research and extensive international distribution, the document has been made generally available through the Internet.
The report identifies a close match between its priority research issues and the "Forward Look" plans of the funding agencies. This no doubt reflects the influence of the inter-agency committee's previous strategy reports. The Department's research programme "Forward Look" is in line with the report recommendation to maintain current research efforts over the next few years. All institutions engaged in global environmental research will benefit from the strategy as they plan future research against the background of the report's recommendations on the conceptual approach, research directions and priorities, enabling technologies and infrastructure, and communication and co-ordination.
Information Technology
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources have been committed each year since 1979 by his Department to the development of
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environmental information software and computer-based environmental research; and what steps have been taken to disseminate this information. [40481]
Mr. Clappison: The Department makes information about the environment and environmental research publicly available via a wide range of databases and more recently the Internet. Details on each system have not been collated centrally and it would entail disproportionate cost to provide the annual resource estimates requested. Guidance on the use of systems is available to the public from the Department's library. They include:
The RESLINE database containing details of the Department's research.
Details of all Departmental publications in the British Library BLAISE database.
Data supplied to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for inclusion on the UK FOCUS and AGREP databases.
The BRIX and FLAIR databases produced by the Building Research Establishment in which environmental matters form a significant part.
The Department's World Wide Web home page (http://www.open.gov.doe/) on the Internet which includes UK environmental statistics based on those published in the Department's annual 'Digest of Environmental Statistics', 'Air Quality Information', and the 'Air Quality Archive'.
Occupational Ill Health
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many working hours have been lost in each of the last 10 years due to occupational ill health. [40420]
Sir Paul Beresford: The information is not collected on a regular basis. However, a survey of self-reported work-related illness in England and Wales estimated that 700,000 workers believed they had experienced illnesses caused or made worse by their work and which resulted in 13 million days off work in 1989-90.
Radioactive Waste Management
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish his conclusions on the responses made to the review of the past five years' work of his Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee, announced on 8 July; if a summary of the responses and original submissions will be made public; and if he will place a list of the responses in the Library. [40394]
Mr. Clappison: The results of the financial management and policy review of the radioactive waste Management Advisory Committee will be announced in due course.
Such reviews are conducted in two stages. An announcement will be made on completion of the "prior options" stage, and if it is decided that RWMAC should continue, the review will go on to address the committee's structure and mode of operation.
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Subject to the agreement of those concerned, I will place a list of respondents and copies of their submissions in the Library of the House when the review has been completed.
Mr. Spearing:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) of 16 July, Official Report, column 432, concerning the River Thames advisory group and working party respectively, if he will give for each of the persons involved to be members for both groups (a) their qualifications, occupations and other inquiries relating to the River Thames, (b) any financial or commercial interest they have concerning the Thames and its environment and (c) the number of meetings each have attended in the year 1995 and 1996. [40405]
Mr. Gummer:
Members of my Thames advisory group were invited to contribute to its work on the basis of their personal contribution and knowledge across a range of fields and disciplines. My Department does not keep details of their qualifications, occupations or personal affairs.
There have been six meetings of the group so far in 1995 and 1996. The number of meetings attended by each member is as follows:
Mr. Meacher:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what opportunities exist under the provisions of the Darwin initiative for British-based taxonomists and entomologists to study the inventory of known species and to explore the development of inventory taxonomy of species thought likely to exist but not yet identified at research institutes and universities in the United Kingdom. [40483]
Mr. Clappison:
The Darwin initiative is designed to bring British expertise to bear on the biodiversity needs of developing countries, and the Department has just invited applications for the next round of funding. Taxonomic work is one of the main areas funded under the initiative. The only work on British collections is that carried out in the course of training developing country scientists.
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Mr. Bennett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the number of large supermarkets within Greater Manchester which do not have sprinkler systems. [40373]
Sir Paul Beresford:
I have not made any such estimate. My Department does not collect statistical information on properties which do or do not have particular fire safety measures.
Mr. Meacher:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what notification he has received from British Nuclear Fuels in respect of proposals to apply for a variation in its discharge consents under the Environment Act 1995, the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 and Nuclear Installations Act 1965 for the Thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield. [40396]
Mr. Clappison:
Applications for disposal authorisations, or for variations to existing authorisations, under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993--as amended by the Environment Act 1995--are made to the Environment Agency. I understand that British Nuclear Fuels plc is considering applying for a variation to the current authorisation for disposal of waste gases, mists and dusts from its Sellafield site. The Nuclear Installations Act 1965 does not apply to discharge consents.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the inspector's report into the rock characterisation facility at Sellafield. [40504]
Sir Paul Beresford:
In accordance with usual procedures, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will publish the report when he has reached his decision on the matter. Until he has received and considered the report, I cannot say when that might be.
Mr. Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the timetable for issuing a full safety certificate for large scale reprocessing at THORP at Sellafield. [40514]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The THORP plant at BNFL Sellafield is currently being commissioned, and will eventually operate, under the requirements of the existing Sellafield site licence issued by the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate. HSE intends to issue a consent for THORP when commissioning has been satisfactorily completed and it has received the appropriate documentation. This has not been received from BNFL.
The River Thames working group is chaired by my hon. Friend the Minister for Transport in London and its membership is a matter for him.
Steven Norris: 3
Alan Baxter: 6
Michael Cassidy: 1
Sir Philip Dowson: 3
Paul Finch: 4
Nicky Gavron: 4
Christopher Howes: 5
Simon Jenkins: 1
Stuart Lipton: 5
Richard MacCormac: 4
Christopher Moran: 3
Lord Rogers: 5
Eric Sorensen: 5
Stewart Steven: 3
Kim Wilkie: 6
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