§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consult local authority associations and organisations with responsibility or concern for public health to discuss the possible risks and consequences of high costs for the collection of waste from cesspits at properties not connected to main sewers.
§ Mr. Denis HowellI am consulting local authorities about the arrangements for emptying cesspools as part of the review of the water industry. Meanwhile the authorities have powers to deal with possible risks under the Public Health Act 1936.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has offered advice, or proposes to offer advice, to local authorities in regard to the private collection and disposal of waste from cesspits of houses not connected to main sewers.
§ Mr. Denis HowellI do not think that I could usefully offer advice. Contractors undertaking this kind of service would normally be well known to the local authorities and are also likely to advertise commercially.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many representations he has received in regard to 633W recent increases or notifications of charges made for the emptying of cesspits at properties not connected to the main sewers.
§ Mr. Denis HowellI have received about 100 letters.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the total number of persons living in the 900,000 properties in England and Wales which he estimates are not connected to main sewers.
§ Mr. Denis HowellOn the 1971 average of 2.87 persons per household, about 2.5 million.