To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department will publish further guidance to local authorities on brownfield sites contaminated as indicated in Improvements to Contaminated Land Guidance: Outcome of the Way Forward Exercise on Soil Guidelines Values. (231698)

The DEFRA statement “Improvements to contaminated land guidance: outcome of the Way Forward exercise on soil guideline values” was issued on 22 July 2008. It listed 14 measures being taken by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and others to improve guidance in this area.

Among the measures was new DEFRA “Guidance on the Legal Definition of Contaminated Land”. This document was published on 28 July and is available on the DEFRA website.