HC Deb 27 October 1971 vol 823 cc342-4W
Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is his policy for reducing pollution caused by the dumping of motor cars, no longer fit for use on the roads;

(2) what is his policy for reducing pollution caused by the dumping of massive and durable pieces of junk, such as abandoned kitchen equipment; and what discussions he has had with local authorities about this problem.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

The Civic Amenities Act, 1967 places on local authorities a duty to remove and dispose of motor vehicles which are abandoned without lawful authority on any land in the open air or forming part of a highway, and empowers local authorities to remove and dispose of other refuse similarly abandoned. The Act also requires local authorities to provide places where residents may dispose free of charge any refuse (except business refuse), including vehicles, and it provides penalties for unauthorised dumping. The provisions of the Act have been drawn to the attention of the local authorities.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider the publication of a map of Scotland, delineating the areas with the greatest pollution problems; and whether in particular he will instruct the cartographer to insert a black cross on those map references where there is a particularly serious source of pollution, such as that caused by untreated sewage outflow from the City of Edinburgh.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

Information of this kind about water pollution is already publicly available in the reports of the River Purification Boards and a report (including a Scottish section) is at present being prepared giving the results of a national survey of smoke and sulphur dioxide.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he is giving to the problem of pollution caused by the increasing use of plastic containers.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

My Department is associated with the work in this field described by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment in reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd) on 27th July.—[Vol. 822,c. 62.]

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he is having with the North of Scotland Hydro Board, and other public bodies, as to the extent to which the costs of pollution, caused by them, could be covered in the price of their product; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

Public bodies, including the Electricity Boards, are required by various statutes to take measures to minimise pollution of the environment by their operations, and the cost of these measures is already reflected in the price of their products.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what study he is making of the long-term ecological effects of various kinds of pollution in Scotland, together with an analysis of their short-term impact.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

The effects in both the short and the long term of marine pollution are being studied by my Marine and Freshwater Fisheries Laboratories, and the Government are sponsoring research into the ecological effects in the United Kingdom of other aspects of pollution.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what study he is making of side-effects of anti-pollution measures.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

Studies are being made by or on behalf of various Government Departments of the economic, social and ecological side-effects of anti-pollution measures.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, in view of his responsibilities for the environment, what discussions he has had with manufacturers in Scotland, whose production gives rise to pollution, and who make greater profits than they would if they were obliged to bear the full social costs of their production, and with consumers associations who buy goods at a lower price than they would if the price had to cover the full social costs involved.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

I have had no such discussions with individual manufacturers, but I am in touch with the Confederation of British Industries about pollution problems. Firms whose processes might cause pollution are already required under various statutes to take counter-measures, the cost of which is no doubt reflected in the price of their products.