§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will outline his reasons for not supporting the Nordic proposal, tabled at the Oslo Commission meeting in June, which called for an end to the dumping at sea of industrial waste and sewage sludge by 31 December 1991.
§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to prohibit the dumping of sewage sludge and industrial waste into the North sea; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cummer[holding answer 24 November 1987]: The United Kingdom was one of four Oslo Commission countries which were not satisfied that the Nordic proposal took adequate account of the available scientific evidence which shows that the sea dumping of sewage sludge and certain industrial wastes causes no environmental harm and can be preferable to other disposal methods.
413WNorth sea Ministers agreed at the international conference in London on 24–25 November that sea disposal of harmful industrial wastes should be banned from the end of 1989 but that dumping may continue where the materials concerned are inert or can be shown not to harm the marine environment. They also agreed that sea disposal of sewage sludge may continue provided the total amount of contaminants it contains does not exceed present levels.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will outline his reasons for not supporting the Nordic proposal, tabled at the Oslo Commission meeting in June, which called for an end to the incineration at sea of industrial waste by 31 December 1991.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 24 November 1987]: The United Kingdom has a major concern in the protection of the environment and it therefore was one of seven Oslo Commission countries which were not satisfied that a termination date of 1991 would allow sufficient time for the development of environmentally acceptable land-based alternatives to marine incineration.
North sea Ministers, including the Nordic countries, agreed at the international conference on 24–25 November that this practice should be terminated by the end of 1994.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what specific measures he is proposing to be introduced following the inter-governmental conference on the protection of the North sea in order to reduce pollution.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 24 November 1987]: My responsibilities extend to controls over the dumping and incineration of wastes at sea and, jointly with Environment Ministers, to authorisation of radioactive waste disposal from major nuclear sites. The ministerial declaration agreed by North sea Ministers on 24–25 November, requires all North sea states to:
- (i) phase out the dumping of industrial wastes in the North sea by 31 December 1989 except where materials involved are inert or can be shown to cause no harm in the marine environment;
- (ii) strictly adhere to Oslo Commission guidelines in order to prevent dumping of contaminated dredged material;
- (iii) reduce contamination of sewage sludges with harmful materials and ensure that the quantities of such material reaching the sea in sludge do not exceed 1987 levels;
- (iv) minimise or substantially reduce the use of marine incineration by 1 January 1991, and phase out such operations by 31 December 1994;
- (v) apply best available technology to minimise any pollution caused by radioactive discharges from nuclear installations;
- (vi) provide that the design and construction of repositories for radioactive waste disposal should aim to preclude pollution of the North sea and interference with legitimate uses of the sea.
§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements he has for the
414W monitoring and assessment of the dumping of sewage sludge on benthic organisms; how close to the dumping sites; and how frequently the monitoring takes place.
Year of Prosecution Vessel Nature of Offence Result 1985 None 1986 Eder Sands (BM 257) Landing undersize Megrim Skipper fined £150 plus £100 costs
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 24 November 1987]: Scientists from this Department carry out sampling of benthos at sewage sludge disposal sites on an annual or two-yearly basis depending on the scientific advice as to the most effective regime for each site. Samples are taken both at the site and at distances of up to several kilometres.
§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what monitoring arrangements are undertaken in relation to the issuing of licences for the dumping of industrial waste material and sewage sludge into the North sea; how many licences have been issued and to whom in each of the past six years; and how many licencees have been(a) proceeded against and (b) convicted for the contravention of dumping regulations in each of the past five years.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 24 November 1987]: Monitoring checks, often unannounced, are carried out of licensed disposal operations from the point of production to deposit in the sea, and conditions in and around the disposal sites are also regularly monitored.
The number of licences issued for the deposit of industrial waste material and sewage sludge into the North sea were:
Industrial waste Sewage sludge 1982 42 19 1983 36 17 1984 30 20 1985 28 18 1986 22 10 11987 18 9 1 To date. Details of licence holders were not made publicly available before 1986. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with details of the holders of licences issued in 1986 and 1987, which are available in my Department for inspection.
No licencees have been proceeded against over the past five years, though cautions have been issued in respect of minor infringements from time to time.