To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements exist for the monitoring of ultraviolet light in the United Kingdom and for making the data public; and what research is undertaken to relate the data to the environmental and health impacts.

Ultraviolet radiation is monitored continuously in the United Kingdom by the National Radiological Protection Board—NRPB—at three locations—Chilton, Oxfordshire; Leeds; and Glasgow. The data are published annually in NRPB reports. The Department of the Environment is funding improved ultraviolet radiation monitoring methods at Reading university. The results are disseminated as research publications.The Department of the Environment funds research into the impact of increased ultraviolet radiation on vegetation. The NRPB advises the Department of Health on health effects of ultraviolet light and has established an advisory group which will review new studies and advise on the need for further research.