Lord DUNLEATHasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is their policy that all new sewage disposal schemes should conform with EEC and Royal Commission standards and, if so, whether they are satisfied that the scheme now under construction at Portaferry, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, where comminuted but otherwise untreated sewage will be discharged into Strangford Lough, conforms therewith.
§ Lord ELTONAll new sewage disposal schemes constructed in Northern Ireland meet the standards laid down by the Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal and the Portaferry scheme conforms to these standards. There are no relevant EEC standards for such schemes.
The Royal Commission's standard in relation to tidal water requires no treatment of sewage where its dilution exceeds 500:1; at Portaferry the dilution factor will be many thousands to one. An independent expert, Mr. Gameson, formerly of the Water Research Centre, has investigated the proposals and found them 1473WA satisfactory. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Mr. Goodhart) is arranging for local groups to be involved in monitoring the operation of the scheme.