HL Deb 18 November 1970 vol 312 cc1118-9
LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend, as the last Government did, to strengthen the law on accidental pollution.]

LORD SANDFORD

My Lords, study and consultation in this matter are proceeding on three or four separate fronts.

LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords, while appreciating what that reply does not tell us, may I ask the noble Lord whether we may anticipate legislation, particularly having regard to the Report of the Working Party on Sewage Disposal, issued under the heading of Taken for Granted, where again and again they indicate the need for legislation?

LORD SANDFORD

Yes, my Lords. I shall be answering a Question tomorrow dealing with one earnest of our intention to proceed and to introduce legislation over this broad field, but at the moment I am not in a position to give any firm indication as to when particular pieces of legislation will come forward as a result of the three or four other separate approaches which are being made.

LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords, would the noble Lord not agree that there is a degree of urgency about this matter, as was made clear in the Report to which I have already referred? It was stated in paragraph 154 that accidental escape of cyanide from industrial premises which drained through a local authority treatment works discharging to a river used for drinking water killed some 35,000 fish"?

LORD SANDFORD

Yes, my Lords. This is one of the three or four different spheres in which work is proceeding, but we are not yet ready with legislation.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, how does one legislate against accidental pollution? One can legislate against intentional pollution, but how do we do it against accidental pollution?

LORD SANDFORD

My Lords, for example, another of the fields which we are studying at the moment is whether it is possible to tighten up the building regulations so as to reduce the danger of accidental pollution; and another is whether some further aspect can be introduced into the handling of planning applications.