§ Mr. Thompsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the inspections of fish and crustacea made by him in order to determine the levels of pollution in the Irish Sea, speci- 836W fying the areas involved, the species inspected, the frequency of inspection, the sorts of pollution for which inspection is made, and the results so far obtained.
§ Mr. BishopThe Ministry's monitoring activities in the Irish Sea form part of a comprehensive United Kingdom programme to establish pollutant levels, particularly of heavy metals, organochlorine pesticide residues and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in fish and shellfish landed for human consumption in British ports. Levels of radioactivity in fish, shellfish, seaweed and sediments are monitored separately and the results are published in the series "Radioactivity in Surface and Coastal Waters of the British Isles". These reports and those dealing with levels of heavy metals in foodstuffs show that there is no risk to public health from fish and shellfish landed anywhere in the British Isles. Copies of these reports are available in the Library of the House. In addition, a report on the monitoring programme undertaken by the Ministry in recent years will shortly be published and also placed in the Library.