asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether, in view of the fact that the Swedish Parliament is now discussing proposals from the Swedish Products Control Board to ban the use of cadmium in electroplating and in stabilisers for plastics, he has any proposals for, or has received any representations in favour of, such a ban in Great Britain.

I have no proposals to ban the use of cadmium in electroplating nor to ban the use of cadmium in stabilisers for plastics. Neither have I received representations in favour of such a ban. I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, however, that the whole question of the environmental impact of cadmium is currently being studied by an inter-departmental working group on which the Health and Safety Executive is represented.