§ Mr. Donald Stewartasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the freshwater bodies in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales which have become acidified (i) to the point where fish populations have been killed off and (ii) to the point where fish populations and other aquatic life are in serious danger.
§ Mr. WaldegravePrecise information is not available to enable the details requested by the right hon. Gentleman to be provided. My Department has therefore recently established a group of experts to review the availability and quality of information on (i) the extent and degree of acidity in surface waters in the United Kingdom and (ii) the status of freshwater fisheries; to review the geological and hydrological factors in a catchment area; to advise on the need for additional data; and to assess the implications of the foregoing for freshwater fisheries and aquatic ecosystems. The group is expected to report in the next 18 months to two years.
§ Mr. Donald Stewartasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has to show that emissions of sulphur dioxide or nitrous oxides from fossil fuel-fired power stations are affecting the acidity of freshwater bodies in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThere is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that acidification of freshwater bodies in some areas is, in part, associated with emissions either now or in the past of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen from combustion processes including power stations. It is not possible to relate specific damage to specific emission sources in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.
The extent of acidification of freshwaters in Scotland, England and Wales and the causes of acidification are being assessed by an expert group set up by my Department.