§ 33. Mr. Urwinasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he now proposes to take in order to prevent further despoilation of beaches by tipping of colliery waste material.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerI have been very concerned about this problem. A Working Party of officials of the Departments concerned and of the National Coal Board has been set up to examine the financial implications of disposing offshore colliery waste at present being tipped on the Durham Coast. Further consideration will be given to the problem as soon as the Working Party has completed its task.
§ Mr. UrwinI am grateful for the right hon. Gentleman's concern, but does he realise that his answer will not be well received in areas such as that which I represent where this problem is very serious? As the tipping of colliery waste material has created and continues to create one of the gravest environmental problems in this country, is it not time that we had action instead of words, remembering that the Armistead Report was presented six years ago and that there have been discussions and conferences at the Department throughout this time? Things should be moving by this time.
§ Mr. WalkerFor part of those six years the hon. Gentleman was the Minister responsible for the North, and during that time there was not the examination made of this problem that I am now making.