§ 65. Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest figure for the number of applications by water authorities for the relaxation of sewage works discharge consents.
§ Mr. HowardOn 7 December at column 199, I announced a capital programme costing around £1 billion to bring sewage treatment works into compliance with their discharge consents by March 1992. Water authorities may apply for time-limited discharge consents for these works to regularise current performance while improvements take place. Some 785 such applications have been received from English water authorities. A list of those sewage works for which these applications have been made has been placed in the Library of the House.