Department’s progress in implementing the Air Quality Strategy for Jersey

2.2  The Connétable of St. Helier of the Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services regarding her  department's  progress in  implementing  the  Air Quality Strategy for Jersey:

Would the Minister advise Members of his department's progress in implementing the Air Quality

Strategy for Jersey?

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en of St. Saviour (Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services): The Air Quality Strategy was endorsed by the Health and Social Services Committee in September 2002 and was updated in 2003 to take account of comments from other States' departments and further monitoring results. It should be noted that the monitoring of air quality was introduced a number years earlier than the strategy. The strategy highlights 4 areas of concern. First, the emissions from the Bellozanne waste incinerator. The Constable will be aware that the States of

Jersey has a waste strategy which will deliver a new energy from waste plant. The energy from waste plant, which should be fully up and running by 2010, will ensure that waste incineration meets the required modern standards applied throughout Europe. Secondly, the emissions from the Jersey Electricity power station at La Collette. The Connétable will be aware that this facility now operates for a very limited period during the year, as the supply from the French mainland has been increased. The impact on air quality has been to reduce the emissions significantly. Thirdly, the emissions from the old cremators at the crematorium. These were replaced in 2004, and the impact on air quality has been to reduce emissions to the requisite standard. Fourthly, the emissions from road traffic, particularly oxides of nitrogen, which remain the outstanding issue as far as the Air Quality Strategy is concerned. The actions required to reduce the emissions from road traffic are

all contained within the recently published Transport and Technical Services Department's Draft

Integrated Travel and Transport Strategy for the Island. If this strategy is fully implemented, it is anticipated that vehicle emissions will reduce as far as reasonably practicable at this stage. However, there is a general matter which remains outstanding: the monitoring of air quality to demonstrate definitively the States of Jersey's compliance with E.U. (European Union) standards of air quality. The Assembly will appreciate that gathering high quality long-term data is an essential part of managing air quality. While monitoring does take place, this is not optimum, as this would require additional resources which have yet to be prioritised by my department.

1. The Connétable of St. Helier :

The Assistant Minister has outlined 4 specific initiatives, 3 of which appear to be well under way. In respect of the fourth initiative - road traffic emissions - could the Assistant Minister indicate when, subject to a satisfactory outcome of the Transport and Technical Services policies, she would expect to see improvement in air quality as a result of falling road traffic emissions?

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

We really need to correctly time this investment with the roll-out of the Integrated Travel and Transport Strategy, and then we could performance manage the strategy.

2. Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire:

May I ask the Assistant Minister to produce for Members a diary of the emissions and the times that the La Collette J.E.C. (Jersey Electricity Company) chimney has been used over the past 12 months, to ascertain the actual usage of the chimney and what the emissions are from that chimney and whether or not they meet E.U. standards as residents have expressed some concerns. Can I also ask the Assistant Minister if she would table for Members the statistics and the areas where air traffic monitoring is occurring at the moment and has been occurring, so that Members can determine the vehicle traffic emissions that are occurring at present and the quantities and the locations, so that we can judge for ourselves in the future whether or not there has been any improvement. Will the Assistant Minister therefore agree to table the actual findings over the last 12 months of the emissions from the J.E.C. chimney and the locations where vehicle emissions testing is occurring at the moment; can we see the figures, please, and the locations?

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

I would be happy for my officers to provide the Connétable with a report within a very short time period into the issues he has raised.

2. Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire:

I do not know if the Assistant Minister is reading from a list of prepared answers, but I am not a Connétable , to begin with, and I do not have any intention of being one. But in respect of my question, I specifically asked for something that is not contained in a report. I am asking for statistics and an evaluation of emissions that are occurring.

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

I apologise that I called the Deputy a Connétable . Sir, I honestly cannot give these answers here and now. I do know where there has been some monitoring, certainly of areas in town by the market, but I would like to be able to provide to the Deputy and any Member of the House the full information within a short time span.

3. The Connétable of St. Helier :

Thank you. In the Assistant Minister's very helpful and clear answers to my questions, she indicated that the Bellozanne incinerator in its current state is of course a problem from an emissions point of view. Could she explain whether action is being taken in consultation with the Department of Transport and Technical Services to reduce the amount of, for example, plastics which are being currently burnt in the incinerator and which are clearly making the emissions that much worse?

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

I think probably that is more an answer for the Minister for Transport and Technical Services to give, but we will provide all data that we can, and obviously if we need to consult with the Minister for Transport and Technical Services we will do so.

4. Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire:

Does the Assistant Minister not believe, given the statistics of the materials that we have seen in the written answers today in respect of Deputy Pitman's questions, that certain items that are being burnt and entering the atmosphere at the moment should be required not to be burnt in the future, and the Health Ministry is the correct Ministry to be voicing our health concerns with?

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

I do agree with the Deputy 's comments, and it is my understanding there has been a reduction in types of material that are burnt at Bellozanne, but to be absolutely accurate I would need my officers to come back to the Deputy .

5. Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier of St. Saviour :

I wonder if the Assistant Minister could say how often she and the Minister sit down to review these figures and what then is the formal process if there are alarm signals contained within the figures?

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

The Minister and I have fortnightly meetings where anything that has been discussed at the Council of Ministers and any concerns that parishioners or people in the Island with health problems raise to me, I bring to that meeting. So we do have regular meetings, and obviously in the meantime if I have any concerns I will either email or speak to the Chief Officer or email the Minister.

6. Deputy R.G. Le Hérissier:

Would the Assistant Minister acknowledge that that does not appear to be a terribly proactive system?

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

I have views about Assistant Ministers generally in this Assembly, but nonetheless, Sir, I can say that any information that I require and that I need I have plenty of people in departments as well as the Minister who I can approach at any time, and the Minister is accessible for me to ask any question, and as I say we have robust meetings every 2 weeks.

7. Deputy A. Breckon of St. Saviour :

A final supplementary, Sir. In the Assistant Minister's itemisation of the 4 areas of concern, she did not mention the emissions from domestic fires, and I wondered whether that is something which her department is aware of. Obviously in the U.K. (United Kingdom) in particular there is stringent legislation to prevent, for example, coal being burnt in urban areas, and I do not believe that is the case in Jersey.

Deputy C.J. Scott Warr en:

I cannot provide the Connétable with an answer to that now, but along with the promised information to the Deputy , I will provide that information, and to all States Members.