Sewage Treatment (Hansard, 19 May 1994)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (The Earl of Arran)
My Lords, under the urban waste water treatment directive, all significant discharges of sewage will be treated before they are discharged either to inland, estuarial or coastal waters. The directive requires treatment to be phased in by the year 2005. However, 84 per cent. of our population already benefit from sewage treatment. In addition, a £2 billion programme to bring our bathing waters up to the relevant EC standards will be largely completed by the end of 1995.

§ Lord Renton
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that partly encouraging Answer. Is it understood by the Government that bathing on sewage-free beaches around our coasts is not only a pleasure and a social advantage but an economic advantage? It enables better trade to be done by the places around our coasts which provide for visitors from this country and from abroad. Is there any hope that the programme can be speeded up?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I understand what my noble friend is saying. Equally, he will appreciate that this is a very lengthy, complex and costly exercise. Already 96 per cent. of the population are connected to sewers and 80 per cent. of our waters are up to EC standards. We are under an EC directive and the Government are spending, and will continue to spend, a considerable amount of money on securing what my noble friend proposes.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, is it the case that the European directives do not apply to sewage treatment works below a certain size? If that is right, will the Minister assure us that the same standards will be applied by the British Government so that we do not allow pollution from those smaller works?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, we are doing our very best to secure the standards required under the European directive, as is requested.

§ Lord Gisborough
My Lords, has there been any study of the recycling of sewage into methane, which is a possibility, and into fertiliser for forestry?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, a certain amount of sewage sludge is spread on to agricultural land and is used in forestry.

§ Baroness Nicol
My Lords, will the Minister answer my question? Is it right that the European directive does not apply to small sewage treatment works? If that is right, will the standards be applied to those works?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I stand to be corrected, but I believe that the European directive states that whatever the size of the sewage work we must bring it up to the required standard. If I am not correct I will let the noble Baroness know.

§ Lord Ennals
My Lords, does the Minister recall that it is almost two years since the Earth Summit in Rio, when many pledges and promises were made about action against environmental pollution of one kind or another? Does he believe that a sense of urgency has been missing from the Government's response to this and other issues which relate to our fulfilment of the pledges that we made at Rio?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, no, in no way do I deny that there is a sense of urgency about this matter. We realise how serious it is. There is a great sense of urgency and we are under several European directives. The urban waste water treatment directive must be phased in in stages by the year 2005. We are under these directives and we fully intend to comply with them.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that assurance because we have been in some doubt about the Government's view. Is he aware that at Question Time on 1st March the noble Viscount, Lord St. Davids, emphasised that, the Government are fully committed to implementing the Community directives on bathing water and drinking water"? —[Official Report, 1/3/94; col. 931.] Is he further aware that in another place on 13th December the Prime Minister said: 'The drinking water directive and the bathing water directive both need to be completely overhauled. They are over-prescriptive and outdated scientifically"?—[Official Report, Commons, 13/12/93; col. 696] Which view do the Government take?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, we are looking carefully at the urban waste water treatment directive with our European counterparts. It is complicated and costly. Member states are also beginning to realise that it is complicated and costly. We are all trying to reach a decision about when phasing in will be completed.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, I thank the Minister, but I did not refer to the urban waste water treatment directive. I referred to the drinking water directive and to the bathing water directive. Will the Minister answer my question in respect of those two directives?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, as regards the bathing water directive, we have said that we shall comply as much as we can in respect of nearly all beaches by the year 1995.

§ Viscount Thurso
My Lords, under the heading "treatment", does the Minister include masceration? Does he count the masceration of sewage as being treatment or does treatment involve the bacterial digestion of sewage?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I am not a technician on this matter but obviously the noble Viscount is. The point is that the matter should be seriously treated so that it gives no cause for anxiety.

§ Lord Renton
My Lords, I appreciate that a good deal of public money must be spent to achieve this necessary objective. Will my noble friend bear in mind that the constructive suggestion put forward by my noble friend Lord Gisborough would enable a good part of the cost to be met? Is my noble friend aware that the undertaking of such work would create employment in areas where that is necessary?

§ The Earl of Arran
My Lords, I fully take that into account. I repeat that a considerable amount of sewage sludge is spread on to agricultural land. I am informed that it is just about as good as the normal fertilisers which go on to agricultural land.