§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the locations of the long sea sewage outfalls still in use around the shores of the United Kingdom. [103381]
§ Mr. MullinLong sea outfalls have generally been envisaged where sewage received no more than primary treatment before discharge to coastal waters. Some discharges to English coastal waters have been designed to incorporate long sea outfalls, but this is a matter for individual sewerage undertakers and there is no centrally held list. However, the Government's announcements on 23 September 1998 and 1 March 1999 on investment in the water industry introduced a requirement that all wastewater discharges from communities greater than 2,000 population would receive a minimum of secondary treatment. Within the context of this policy, wastewater long sea outfalls are less significant, since secondary treatment provides a high level of environmental protection, whatever the length of the outfall.
Wastewater disposal in the remainder of the United Kingdom is a matter for devolved administrations.