§ Mr. Wareingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the current position regarding the issuing of a dumping licence for silt dredged from the River Mersey, its adjacent docks, locks and channels.
§ Mr. JoplingThe licences issued under the Dumping at Sea Act 1974 for the disposal to sea of dredge spoil from the River Mersey and its environs expired on 31 December 1985. Applications for their renewal were not received until well into the month of December. As it usually takes about two months for applications to be fully considered by our scientific advisers, the old licences were extended until 28 February to allow time for proper assessments to be made.
Under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, which now governs the issue of licences for sea disposal, Ministers are required to have regard to the protection of the marine environment, the living resources which it supports and human health. We shall take full account of these considerations and all other relevant factors in coming to decisions on these applications, which we expect to reach well before the end of February.