§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many allegations about the dumping of dangerous chemicals have been received by his Department since June, 1970; and whether he has informed the appropriate local council in each case.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsThe Department has not maintained records of such allegations either before June, 1970, or since, in a way which enable a statistically correct answer to be provided. Where the information is provided with sufficient accuracy to enable the location of the material to be immediately identified I would expect the appropriate local authority to be informed.
§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether a representative of his Department was told on 21st December, 1971, about the allegation that dangerous chemicals had been dumped at Barnt Green; when this in- 126W formation was passed to the Bromsgrove Urban District Council; whether this action was at the request of the Bromsgrove Urban District Council or on the initiative of the Department of the Environment; and to what extent there was any delay due to an error of judgment by the Department.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsA representative of the Department was advised on 21st December, 1971, that a former employee of a waste disposal contractor had alleged that chemical waste had been dumped on a site at Barnt Green, Bromsgrove. (At that time the Department had been asked to treat the source and nature of the information in confidence.) This allegation was one of several about the dumping of wastes in different parts of the West Midlands and was made in very general terms. In particular there was no information about the nature of the waste or about its location in a tip. The Department's informants were pressed to provide more specific evidence.
Following the Press reports on 10th January, the Clerk of Bromsgrove U.D.C. wrote to the Department's Regional Office in Birmingham asking whether it had information about the allegations. The Department conveyed by telephone to the Clerk on 12th January all the information it could and advised that if evidence as to the precise location and nature of the waste were forthcoming, liaison with the appropriate river authorities and water undertakings would be desirable.
I do not consider, in view of the difficulties of obtaining indisputable evidence as to the exact location or nature of certain wastes said to have been dumped more than a year ago, that the sequence of events is rightly described as an error of judgment on the part of the Department.
§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he received a letter addressed to him by a resident of Wythall on 17th February, 1971; whether this letter contained an allegation that cyanide had been dumped at the Shirley Quarry; what action was taken as a result of this allegation; when this action was taken; and whether he will send an apology to the man who wrote to him.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsA letter dated 17th February, 1971, was received in the 127W Department. It was a letter four pages long, concerned primarily with a complaint that Shirley Quarry was being used for unauthorised purposes. There were a number of subsidiary issues, including a passing reference to the dumping of drums of cyanide. The correspondent said that he had made many representations to the local authorities in the area responsible for general questions about the control of tipping. The complaints made in that letter, and in a subsequent one of 13th March, are, with the agreement of the writer, signified on 15th June, being treated as a representation concerning an appeal against an Enforcement Notice made by the local authority in respect of the quarry. An apology for the delay in dealing with the letter of 17th February was sent on 12th July, 1971.
§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is his policy to welcome information from members of the public about the possible dumping of dangerous chemicals; and whether he will establish a special section of his Department to ensure that such information is communicated to the appropriate local council for their investigation.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsThe answer to the first part of the Question is, Yes, and to the second part, No—the work will be done by the appropriate section.
§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether a representative of his Department met members of the Warwickshire Branch of the Conservation Society on 21st December, 1971; whether allegations were made at this meeting about the dumping of cyanide and other dangerous chemicals at other places besides Wolston and Barnt Green; and when this information was communicated to the appropriate local councils.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsYes. The allegations which were made at this meeting were in very general locational terms. The Society was asked to provide specific information as to the local authorities in whose area the alleged dumping had taken place.