§ Mr. Tilneyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about pollution in the Mersey Estuary.
§ Mr. Graham PageRecently my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Eldon Griffiths), toured the Mersey Estuary under the auspices of the Mersey and Weaver River Authority and had meetings with representatives of the local authorities and of the industrialists in the area. The river authority stated its proposals, to be realised in a reasonable150W period of time, of getting rid of the gross pollution of the beaches in the lower part of the estuary and, by an increase in the oxygen level, of eliminating offensive smells in the upper part of the estuary. I consider these to be attainable objectives.
The local authorities decided to set up a joint working party with the Mersey and Weaver River Authority and the industrialists to plan the joint actions, the priorities, the phasing and the costing of a realistic progressive cleaning-up programme for the estuary ; and they have invited my Department to join in the technical work. I think this is a major step forward. I welcome it and I am happy to accept the invitation to the Department.