Marine Pollution

HC Deb 04 December 1986 vol 106 cc751-8W

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the policy of his Department with regard to level of proof required that pollution is having harmful effects on the marine environment before appropriate action is taken; what criteria are used to decide when proof is sufficient and when damage becomes irreversible; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Waldegrave

The United Kingdom's regulatory authorities do not require absolute proof of environmental damage before appropriate action is taken. Where monitoring and research activities indicate trends which are likely to become unacceptable, action is taken by the appropriate authorities. Increasingly the United Kingdom is operating within a framework of nationally and internationally agreed quality standards into which safety factors are built and kept under continuous review.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the information which his Department has, within the last three years, exchanged with any other North sea states on (a) low waste/non-waste and low emission/non-emission technologies, (b) waste management, (c) the protection of aquatic environment, (d) substitutes and economic incentives and (e) technical suggestions with regard to solutions which render the disposal of wastes at sea unnecessary, namely recycling, reprocessing and waste disposal on land.

Mr. Waldegrave

The United Kingdom exchanges information with other North sea states on a regular basis through the Oslo and Paris commissions and their working groups, as well as through the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, OECD, the EC and the international North sea conference. Such exchanges cover inputs, monitoring and related research, and waste management, recycling and alternative disposal options. Preparations for the international North sea conference are also considering the scope for applying cleaner technologies to discharges.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what initiatives his Department has proposed within (a) the London dumping convention, (b) the Oslo commission, (c) the Paris commission and (d) the EEC during the last three years to ensure that appropriate measures for the prevention of marine pollution are prepared and implemented as soon as possible.

Mr. Waldegrave

The Government take their obligations in the European Community and as a contracting party to the London, Oslo and Paris conventions, seriously and conscientiously. Within the London and Oslo conventions the United Kingdom has instigated or been party to a number of collective initiatives in recent years, including a review of industrial waste disposal practices, the further improvement of controls over the disposal of persistent plastics at sea, and the elaboration of new guidelines for the disposal of dredged materials at sea. In the Paris commission and the EC we have in particular pressed for attention to be paid to the problems or organotins in marine anti-fouling paints.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions within the last three years his Department has exchanged information on national arrangements for monitoring and licensing discharges into the North sea with other North sea states; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Waldegrave

The United Kingdom contributed to a paper prepared by the Germans for the 1984 Bremen North sea conference on the "Licensing and Monitoring Practices of Discharges in the Riparian States of the North Sea". The paper has subsequently been updated and discussed by the Paris Commission. The United Kingdom will participate in a comparison undertaken by the Paris commission of discharges from both sewage treatment works and industrial plant.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if Her Majesty's Government have made all the results of national pollution monitoring programmes available to parties of both the Oslo and Paris commissions to assist the joint monitoring programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Waldegrave

The United Kingdom participates fully in the joint monitoring programme of the Oslo and Paris commissions. The commissions agree on the work to be carried out under the programme and the United Kingdom supplies the relevant national data. In addition, the Government make available any other monitoring data relating to subjects under discussion within the two commissions.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department has conducted or commissioned in the last three years into the potentially hazardous nature of black and grey list substances entering the North sea within the framework of the Oslo commission, the Paris commission and the EEC.

Mr. Waldegrave

In addition to the information given in my replies to the hon. Member's questions on 27 November, at columns 311–17, about research relevant to the effects of organic synthetic compounds in the North sea, my Department has commissioned research during the last three years on the following grey list substances: —boron, vanadium, sulphide, ammonia, iron, inorganic tin, copper nickel, zinc and arsenic.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the research papers commissioned or completed for Her Majesty's Government in the last three years examining the effects of nutrients from United Kingdom sources on the North sea.

Mr. Waldegrave

Within the last three years my Department has commissioned a research contract on the fate of fertiliser nitrogen in marine waters. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has commissioned a number of studies which include assessments of the effects of nutrients in the marine environment. While none of these is specifically directed to the North sea, it is expected that the knowledge gained will be of general application.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what new measures Her Majesty's Government have introduced in the last three years to protect the North sea from pollution of anthropogenic origins.

Mr. Waldegrave

I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to his questions of 27 November, at columns 311–17. In addition, the enactment of part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 has further improved the controls exercised by my right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over the disposal of waste at sea.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list any recommendations currently being considered by his Department concerning the acceptable level of list I and list II substances in dredged materials to be disposed of in the North sea.

Mr. Waldegrave

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question of 27 November, at column 314.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reviews Her Majesty's Government have carried out within the last three years of methods employed by their environmental scientists to determine sediment contamination of the North sea by list I and list II chemicals with a view to achieving international comparability.

Mr. Waldegrave

The United Kingdom is playing a leading role in the studies of sediment contamination through the marine sediments working group of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the joint monitoring group of the Oslo and Paris commissions. This has included intercalibration of sampling and analytical procedures for a range of metals.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to (a) prevent, (b) reduce and (c) monitor the input of potentially hazardous synthetic organic compounds into the North sea in the last three years.

Mr. Waldegrave

I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave him on 27 November, at columns 311–17.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research Her Majesty's Government have commissioned or completed in the last three years into the effects on marine, estuary and freshwater biota of the 129 potential list I substances mentioned in the communication of 22 June 1982 from the European Commission to the European Council on hazardous substances within the meaning of list I of European Council directive 76/464/EEC.

Mr. Waldegrave

The Government have carried out exploratory surveys of the concentrations of some of the 129 substances and plan to continue this work. We have a major research exercise into the effects of organo tin compounds. We have reviewed the available date on toxicity, persistence and bio-accumulation and we have sponsored research aimed at the setting of quality standards for the several important uses of fresh and marine waters.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on national monitoring and research efforts currently being conducted to establish the environmental state of the North sea.

Mr. Waldegrave

I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to his questions of 27 November at columns 311–17. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food undertakes a considerable programme of monitoring and research on marine environmental and fisheries matters in support of its statutory responsibilities. The level of resources committed to this programme is kept under review.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the research programmes Her Majesty's Government have established in the last three years to examine and improve knowledge on sedimentation processes and accumulation as well as on remobilisation of hazardous substances in the aquatic environment.

Mr. Waldegrave

Research on the movement and accumulation of sediment and on the mobilisation of metals has been commissioned by the Department as part of the ongoing work of the laboratories of the National Environmental Research Council, the Water Research Centre, and the Hydraulics Research Centre for the past six years. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has a programme concerned with sediment processes, accumulation and remobilisation of heavy metals in the aquatic environment.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to require statutory water authorities in the United Kingdom to review periodically environmental quality objectives in relation to ongoing national and international research into the possible effects of list I and list II substances on the aquatic environment.

Mr. Waldegrave

Details of the standards laid down nationally in the United Kingdom for managing water quality were given in my replies to the hon. Member's questions on 27 November at columns 311–17. The standards are subject to review and may be revised by my Department in the light of experience of the water authorities or fresh scientific evidence.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how frequently he reviews environmental quality objectives in relation to ongoing national and international research into marine pollution.

Mr. Waldegrave

My Department will review the quality standards set nationally for list II substances when it considers this necessary in the light of experience or fresh scientific evidence.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied that the current state of knowledge of the marine, freshwater and estuaries ecosystems is sufficient to ensure complete protection of these ecosystems from pollution from anthropogenic sources.

Mr. Waldegrave

While complete protection of all ecosystems is unattainable, and while there is always further progress to be made, I am satisfied that the research being carried out to improve our knowledge of aquatic ecosystems is adequate and that the main priority areas are being tackled.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent the environmental quality objectives adopted as a means of managing water quality take into account both the latest scientific data and the best technical means available to industry to reduce potentially harmful emissions.

Mr. Waldegrave

Information about the standards laid down in the United Kingdom for managing water quality was given in my replies to the hon. Member's questions on 27 November, at columns 311–17. The standards are subject to review and may be revised by my Department in the light of experience or fresh scientific evidence.

Quality standards are based on the effect of a substance upon the receiving environment; they are unrelated to technology-based emission standards. However, in setting consent conditions for individual discharges, water authorities may take account of the technology available to the firm concerned as well as the need to meet the quality standard in the receiving water.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what precautionary measures Her Majesty's Government have introduced within the last three years aimed at promoting the use of the best available technology to reduce emissions of airborne pollutants from United Kingdom industrial point sources.

Mr. Waldegrave

In the last three years Her Majesty's industrial air pollution inspectorate has issued six notes on the best practicable means for reducing emissions of airborne pollutants from scheduled processes. These were for cement works, mineral works, lead works, and the production of sulphuric acid, chlorine and ammonia.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken in the last three years to reduce the discharge of substances on the grey list in particular of specific heavy metals-metalloids, to rivers and estuaries discharging into the North sea.

Mr. Waldegrave

Information on the steps the Government have taken in the last three years to reduce the discharge of substances on the grey list, was given in my replies to the hon. Member's questions on 27 November, at columns 311–17.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to improve protection of the marine environment from pollution by mercury and its compounds with regard to mercury discharges from non-industrial services, in particular (a) thermometers, (b) batteries, (c) dental health establishments, (d) analytical laboratories, (e) electronic appliances and instruments and (f) chloralkali products for example sodium hydroxide.

Mr. Waldegrave

Advice on the storage, handling and recovery of mercury is contained in my Department's "Waste Management Paper No. 12", on mercury-bearing wastes. My Department has held discussions with representatives of the dentists' associations on the discharge of mercury from dental health establishments. As regards the use of mercury in analysis, my Department has suggested formally in its circular on implementation of EC directives on dangerous substances to water, that water authorities advise that mercury be used as little as possible in analysis and that discharges should not be disposed of to water. In addition, analytical methods for the determination of chemical oxygen demand which do not require the use of mercury are being introduced.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what detailed plans he has to deal with emergencies and accidents at sea involving the accidental release of oil or other noxious substances.

Mr. Michael Spicer

I have been asked to reply.

The Department of Transport's marine pollution control unit, created in 1979, is permanently on call and is dedicated entirely to contingency planning for dealing with oil and other toxic substances spilt from ships at sea and to the direction of such counter-pollution operations as may be necessary. The unit has under contract a variety of resources at various locations around the United Kingdom coast which can be activated at short notice (a) to mount clean-up activities at sea in the event of pollution threatening the United Kingdom coastline or other marine interests, and (b) to assist local authorities with their onshore clean-up activities.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all oil pollution incidents reported by oil corporations to Her Majesty's Government within the last three years from vessels, production or drilling pipelines operating within the United Kingdom's jurisdiction.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

I have been asked to reply.

In 1984, 47 spills from offshore installations on the United Kingdom continental shelf, totalling 130 tonnes of oil, were notified to the Department of Energy; 85 spills, in all 308 tonnes of oil, were notified in 1985. To date this year 148 spills, a total of 550 tonnes of oil, have been reported.

This figure does not include the oil spilt from the Flotta-Piper pipeline on 26 and 27 November 1986.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to ensure that oil companies, wherever they use oil-based muds, reduce the residual oil cuttings using the best available solid control technology.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

I have been asked to reply.

A condition of all exemptions, issued under the Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971, for the use of oil-based drilling muds, is that the operator shall install and operate efficient solids control equipment and continue to operate it at all times in such a manner as to reduce the oil content of the discharged cuttings to a minimum.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken in the last three years to seek to keep to a minimum the use of oil-based mud on oil exploration and drilling platforms in the North sea.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

I have been asked to reply.

Drilling operators are permitted to discharge drilling cuttings contaminated with oil-based mud only within the conditions of an exemption from the Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971. Applications for such exemptions are accepted only where the use of oil-based muds is essential for geological, safety or economic reasons as agreed within the Paris Commission.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what toxicity test systems Her Majesty's Government have established in the last three years to classify oil-based muds as either low-toxicity or diesel-based.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

I have been asked to reply.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Fisheries research laboratory has developed marine toxicity test methods, involving measuring effects on brown shrimp, for both base-oils and oil-based drilling muds. The tests allow the discrimination of products with acute toxicities similar to diesel oil and diesel-based muds from those products of sufficiently low toxicity to be accepteable for use on the United Kingdom continental shelf under the provisions of the revised Prevention of Oil Pollution Act 1971.

Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research Her Majesty's Government have commenced or completed in the last three years to develop alternative substances for base oils which are bio-degradable and of low-toxicity as well as into the ecological impact of drilling muds based on diesel and alternative low-toxicity based oils.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

I have been asked to reply.

The Department of Energy in consultation with the Fisheries Departments operates toxicity standards for oil used in formulating drilling muds. The oil industry and its suppliers use these standards when developing new base-oils and oil-based muds.

Government and oil industry scientists have conducted studies on the environmental impact of the discharge of oil contaminated drilling cuttings. This work has shown that the base oils used are highly biodegradable and that any environmental impact is localised.