§ Mr. MURRAYasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the failure of his Department to define the point of the River Clyde from above which dredgings of inoffensive material may not be deposited at Roseneath Patch is giving a great deal of concern to local authorities on both sides of the river; if he recognises that his right to prohibit such dumping may only be exercised after damage has been done to the foreshores; and if he can now see his way to restrict such dumping to dredgings taken from a point below that at which the River Leven joins the Clyde and to appoint a qualified inspector to see that the 1,350,000 barge-tons of dredgings is inoffensive and in accordance with the privileges now granted to the Clyde Trust?
§ Mr. S. WEBBAs explained in an answer given to the hon. Member for Greenock on the 21st January (a copy of which I am sending to my hon. Friend), the permission given to the Clyde Navigation Trustees to deposit dredgings for a trial period of one year on an area near Roseneath Patch is subject to the condition, among others, that no sewage or offensive material may be deposited. The Trustees have been informed that the Board of Trade do not consider maintenance dredgings from the upper part of the River Clyde under the jurisdiction of the Trustees as suitable for deposit on the area, and I am advised that it is not desirable to define more exactly the precise point in the river from above which dredgings may not be deposited, since the conditions in the river may vary from time to time and a, definition might possibly be construed as weakening the governing condition which I have mentioned. I have no reason to doubt that the Trustees will in their own interests take every precaution to observe this condition, and the Board's permission can be withdrawn at 24 hours' notice, on their being satisfied that the deposit is causing or likely to cause injury. In view of these considerations, I do not think it necessary to appoint an inspector as suggested by my hon. Friend.