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COMMUNITY RIGHT TO KNOW BILL. FOE Demands Labour Meets Election Pledge on Pollution Facts

08 Feb 1999

A new Community Right to Know Bill, which would give people information on all health-threatening pollution in their area, is to be introduced into Parliament today by Matthew Taylor MP (Liberal Democrat: Environment Spokesman). The Bill has cross-party support. At the General Election Labour pledged to introduce “comprehensive pollution inventories”of toxic releases in every area of the country.

The launch of this Bill comes on the day that Friends of the Earth launches a revolutionary new website giving everyone with Internet access the chance to see what factories are pumping out pollution in their area. In 1996, the latest year for which figures are available,over 10,000 tonnes of cancer-causing chemicals were released into the air across England and Wales by large factories.

Information on pollution from large factories is reported to the Environment Agency. But the“Access to Environmental Information Bill” would also require the Government to produce data on releases from smaller factories, rubbish dumps, traffic and other pollution sources.

Mike Childs, Senior Pollution Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

“ We urgently need better data on pollution if we are to protect public health and the environment. People have a right to see what pollution is being released in their area and what the health effects may be. Labour promised this during the General Election. Now is the time to deliver”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1]     Michael Meacher, Minister for the Environment, promised during the General Election that the Labour Government would introduce comprensive pollution inventories. He repeated this promise at the 1998 Labour Party Conference. The Environment Agency, the Government's green watchdog, is making welcome improvements on reporting from large industries, but need changes to the law before it can collect information on pollution from rubbish dumps, sewage treatment works and other sources.