HC Deb 02 July 1975 vol 894 cc1461-2
21. Sir David Renton

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any further progress has been made with regard to the large-scale desalination of sea water and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Denis Howell

There have been no developments in technology which give me any reason to think that desalination will make a major contribution to augmenting water resources in the United Kingdom in the foreseeable future.

Sir D. Renton

Will the hon. Gentleman say what further research is taking place on this matter?

Mr. Howell

There have been a number of research programmes. The former Department of Trade and Industry withdrew after 1973–74. My departmental support in 1974–75 totalled about £60,000-odd and the ODMs came to about £30,000.

I should like to mention some of the difficulties. It was found that desalination produces water at between—it is a variable figure—two and a half and 15 times the ordinary traditional costs of producing water. The plant concerned is ugly and noisy and there is a serious effluent problem. For those reasons, I should not want to encourage too much hope of early progress.