§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has received on the pollution arising from the pollution incident off the coast of Lancashire on 2 January.
§ Mr. NorrisI have been asked to reply.
The Department of Transport's marine pollution control unit was first informed of the incident on 1 January. Samples of the substance recovered from the Fylde and Cumbrian coasts have been analysed by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist, and indicate that the source of
Local authority housebuilding, excluding purpose-built dwellings for the elderly and disabled (numbers of dwellings) Starts Completions England and Wales City of Manchester England and Wales City of Manchester 1979 43,123 801 61,336 738 1980 24,692 861 65,164 913 1992 1,140 6 1,922 2 12-month period to November 1993 1773 — 11,078 6 1 These cover 76 starts and 96 completions of local authority house building in Wales which include dwellings purpose-built for the elderly and disabled.
(numbers of dwellings) Starts Completions England and Wales City of Manchester England and Wales City of Manchester 1979 12,098 62 15,472 365 1980 12,473 227 19,360 94 1992 26,044 553 20,209 238 12-month period to November 1993 134,906 606 129,170 477 1 These cover 3,070 starts and 2,410 completions of housing association house building in Wales which include dwellings purpose-built for the elderly and disabled. House building is only part of housing associations' provision of additional social housing. Homes are also provided through a variety of other means including purchases for rehabilitation and, the tenants incentive scheme.
662Wthe pollution is likely to be a commercial lubricant additive. Further tests are being carried out to establish the precise cause of the pollution.