HC Deb 05 December 1961 vol 650 c1128
19. Mrs. Slater

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) what effect the use of soft detergent has on river pollution; and how far its use could be extended;

(2) if he has considered the fourth progress report of the Standing Technical Committee on Synthetic Detergents; and what recommendations will be made on the extensive use of the soft detergent.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (Mr. Geoffrey Rippon)

The Committee reported a reduction in the concentration of synthetic detergent in effluents from sewage works in areas where soft detergent had been sold; but found that the soft detergent now in use did not provide a complete solution and that further improvement was necessary.

Mrs. Slater

Would not the use of soft detergent considerably reduce foam and also the amount of detergent left in sewers? This would be a considerable saving to many local authorities and would help in the working of the sewerage departments. Could not my suggestion be examined to see how far use of soft detergent could be extended in other areas?

Mr. Rippon

The Luton experiment served a valuable purpose in this regard and preliminary investigations have been satisfactory. The Committee found that it could not reach any firm conclusion on the advantages to be gained by replacing the hard detergent by the soft detergent at this stage. More research is necessary. The Committee is pursuing this and I think that we shall have some more information in its next report.