§ Mr. Gareth Wardellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department has any plans to undertake studies, or to commission studies, into the movement and fate of nitrate in groundwater; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveA summary of recent and current work on the movement and fate of nitrate in groundwater was given in the fourth biennial report of the standing technical advisory committee on water quality. This was published in April and a copy was placed in the Library 133W of the House. My Department has supported studies on this subject at the Agricultural Reasearch Council laboratory at Letcombe, and continues to support research at the British Geological Survey. Studies are also being carried out by other departments and several water authorities.