§ Baroness Stedmanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements have been made to continue the work of the Lancashire and Western Sea Fisheries Joint Committee monitoring the effect of sewage sludge dumping in Liverpool Bay after the abolition of the metropolitan counties.
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§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Belstead)With the abolition of the metropolitan county councils, the district councils in Greater Manchester and Merseyside have the opportunity of taking up membership of the Lancashire and Western Sea Fisheries Joint Committee in place of Greater Manchester and Merseyside County Councils. However, most of the district councils concerned have decided not to join the committee, which, like all sea fisheries committees established under the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act, draws its basic income from its constituent councils.
The Lancashire and Western Committee has been reviewing its expenditure in the light of the resultant reduction in its income and I understand that one of the activities it plans to terminate is the monitoring of sewage sludge dumping in Liverpool Bay. However, my department already carries out its own monitoring programme in this area and does not rely upon the work of the committee.