HC Deb 09 January 1985 vol 70 cc767-9
5. Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress he has made in measures to reduce nitrate pollution of public water supplies.

Mr. Macfarlane

Trials of full-scale treatment plant to denitrify water supplies have been completed satisfactorily by the water research centre and the Anglian water authority at the authority's works at Bucklesham. Other research projects are under way. My Department is establishing a group of experts, with the help of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, to evaluate information on nitrates and consider action to limit nitrate concentrations in water supplies. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is about to publish a code of good agriculture practice designed to minimise water pollution. It will include a section on fertilisers.

Mr. Taylor

Is my hon. Friend aware that levels are still rising? Is it not unreasonable that my constituents in Southend and many others are faced with the choice of paying much higher water rates to cover the horrendous costs of removing nitrates from water because of the health directive, or of receiving ever-increasingly polluted water supplies? Why are the Government so reluctant to curb the amount of nitrates going into water or to make the polluters pay, which happens in every other industry?

Mr. Macfarlane

My hon. Friend must be pleased that we have set up the group of experts. The co-ordination group will hold its first meeting on 14 January. Its terms of reference are to provide a forum for the evaluation of information collected about the sources, pathways and concentrations of nitrates in water. We shall see to what extent those levels, which he claims are occurring, are developing. We have acted thoroughly and positively and that group meets next week.

Mr. Hardy

Does the Minister accept that, in addition to a priority for research, there must be proper priority for development regarding this grave problem? Does he accept that concern should be displayed not merely for public water supplies but for the contamination of virtually every water course and every wetland area in many parts of our islands?

Mr. Macfarlane

That is an important consideration, which is why my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and our officials are getting together urgently to evaluate all the facts and background information.

Mr. Key

Will my hon. Friend be talking to the water authorities about the widespread concern that exists about the condition of rivers? The finger is pointed at fish farming, but there is increasing agreement that nitrates are a major cause of pollution in rivers. There has been a sad decline in the environmental aspects of river management.

Mr. Macfarlane

Yes, I shall also draw that to the attention of the nitrate co-ordination group.

Dr. David Clark

Will the Minister assure us that we shall have both research and urgent action, because this is a serious matter? Only recently one of the Minister's chief scientists told me that he regarded it as the greatest environmental time bomb facing Britain. Will he also assure us that when the European Community directive on clean water is introduced there will not be major exemptions for waters that are affected by nitrogen?

Mr. Macfarlane

I must make it clear that since the beginning of last year my Department has started collecting regular information about public water supplies with high nitrate levels, and that there has been no overall increase in nitrate levels in those supplies. The group has many things to do. The House will agree that action can follow only the most exhaustive research, which is why we have responded quickly and why the first meeting takes place on Monday of next week.