§ Mr. Gareth Wardellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) in which year sampling and sonar surveys have been carried out by his Department in the vicinity of the central Bristol channel sea wastes dump at latitude 51° 24.5′N and longitude 04° 04′W;
(2) for each year since 1974, what was the tonnage of (a) sewage sludge and (b) industrial waste licensed for disposal in the central Bristol channel; and what were the corresponding tonnages actually dumped;
(3) whether he has available to him any reports on the field assessment of effects of dumping wastes in the vicinity of the central Bristol channel at latitude 51° 24.5′N and longitude 04° 04′W that is more recent than Fisheries Research Technical Report No. 59.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe quantities licensed for disposal and those actually dumped in the central Bristol channel site between 1974 and 1983 (the latest year for which figures are available) were:
'000 tonnes Sewage Sludge Industrial Waste Licensed Dumped Licensed Dumped 1974 350 281 5.1 3.0 1975 675 346 14.5 6.0 1976 481 308 7.5 6.7 1977 517 330 10.1 5.3 1978 482 394 8.5 5.0 1979 482 358 7.4 3.8 1980 482 392 5.4 2.8 1981 482 328 5.5 3.3 1982 572 320 5.4 2.8 1983 525 230 4.8 2.0 Fisheries Research Technical Report No. 59 is the latest completed field assessment, but an analysis is in train of a supplementary survey undertaken in 1983. As the report indicates, samples were taken in 1975, 1976 and 1977 and a sonar survey was carried out in 1976. Subsequently, further samples were taken in the 1983 survey.