§ Mr. Altonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many ships owned by Effluent Services Ltd. have been given licences to dump cyanide; and how often its vessels have been monitored to check on the content of the waste they dispose of.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithLicences are issued to a company rather than for a vessel. Effluent Services Ltd has been granted five licences to dispose of cyanide-bearing salts since the introduction of the Dumping at Sea Act 1974. Check inspections were carried out on four occasions. In addition, the company has carried out a few disposal operations on contract in cases where the licence has been held by the manufacturer producing the waste. Recent developments involving treatment of live waste make it less likely that there will be application for licences for disposal at sea and my Department does not expect to issue any licences in 1981.
§ Mr. Altonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action his Department takes against shipowners who dump cyanide at sea without notifying it and recording the consignment in their register.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithUnder the Dumping at Sea Act 1974 it is an offence to dump waste at sea without a licence and a breach of the licence conditions not to provide a return of the waste 341W dumped. The public register is maintained by the licensing authority in accordance with the Act. My Department is aware of only one case of unlicensed disposal of cyanide at sea. In that instance the company was also guilty of other illegal disposal practices and was prosecuted by the police. Generally, the action taken by my Department in cases of unlicensed dumping or failure to comply with the conditions of a licence would depend on the nature of the offence but could include withdrawal of the licence or prosecution.
§ Mr. Altonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the cargo of cyanide dumped by the "Rudyard", referred to in a letter of 25 April from the Minister of State to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Edge Hill, appears in the register kept of authorised dumping.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithYes. I should add that the total quantity of the three licences mentioned in my letter of 25 April has since been amended to 1,180 tonnes, but in fact only 995 tonnes were actually dumped under these licences.
§ Mr. Altonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the cargo of cyanide dumped by the "Rudyard", referred to in a letter of 25 April from the the Minister of State to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Edge Hill, was covered by a licence under the Dumping at Sea Act 1974.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithYes.
§ Mr. Altonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases have been brought against shipowners suspected of unauthorised dumping of cyanide at sea under the terms of the Dumping at Sea Act 1974; what penalties were imposed ; and how many authorised licences have been granted since 1974.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithTwelve new or renewed licences have been issued since 1974. One company has been prosecuted by the police for a number of offences which, though not specified, included the unlicensed disposal of cyanide at sea. The company was fined a total of £2,600, £1,900 of which related solely to the dumping offences. My Department is not aware of any other instances in which342W cyanide has been dumped at sea without a licence.