§ 15. Mr. Partridgeasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, what action the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is taking to help reduce pollution of rivers by industrial effluents.
§ Mr. H. NichollsThe Water Pollution Research Laboratory of the Department is investigating scientifically the effects of industrial effluents on streams with the object of developing improved methods for treating such effluents before discharge into rivers.
§ Mr. PartridgeMay I ask my hon. Friend who is paying for this work? Are the results to be made more widely known, so that all the fish in all our rivers are not killed before something has been done about it?
§ Mr. NichollsThe laboratory is a Government research station, and financial help has been given by industry for this particular project through the Federation of British Industries. The contribution next year will be to the extent of 13,000. The result of the work is made known generally through local authorities and the various water boards. I do not think the responsible authorities are left in any doubt as to the efficacy of any advantages which research shows are available.
§ Mr. BeswickIs the hon. Gentleman satisfied that this work is being done on a sufficiently large scale? Can he give any idea when we are likely to receive any tangible results from this research? I know that the river which the hon. Member for Battersea, South (Mr. Partridge) has in mind is pretty foul, but there is a river in my constituency, running through a rural area, three parts out of five of which is nothing but sewage effluent. It is a very serious problem.
§ Mr. NichollsI can assure the hon. Gentleman that no worth-while line of research that has made itself known has been neglected. The information derived is passed pretty thoroughly through the whole range of people most interested in it.