§ Mr. Donald Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent use has been made of the Beaufort dyke explosives dumping area in the north channel of the Irish sea: whether the dumping ground is made available to commercial and industrial interests; what restrictions exist on the substances which can be dumped; and whether the site is regularly checked for leakage and environmental pollution.
§ Mr. George YoungerNo licences have been issued for the disposal of waste in the Beaufort dyke area in recent years. A small quantity of concrete waste was dumped there in 1981: it was due to be taken to deep water well to the west of Scotland but it had to be dumped at Beaufort dyke because of adverse weather.
Licences for the dumping of waste in that area by commercial or industrial interests would be granted only in an emergency and would depend upon the nature of the waste products.
Because of the non-toxic nature of the materials that have been dumped at Beaufort dyke it has not been considered necessary to check for leakage or environmental pollution.