§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement outlining the nature of his responsibilities for marine pollution; and if, in particular, he will indicate what calculations he has made of the cost of disposing of sewage sludge per wet ton by means of incineration, agricultural application, land fill and sea dumping, respectively.
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§ Mr. GummerUnder part II of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 my right hon. Friend the Minister is responsible in England for granting licences for the disposal of waste at sea. He is also jointly responsible, with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, for granting authorisations under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 for the discharge of radioactive wastes from licensed nuclear sites and UKAEA premises in England. In addition, under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 we are consulted by water authorities or by the Secretary of State for the Environment about the potential effects on fisheries of proposed pipeline discharges into coastal waters. Comparisons of financial and other costs are more appropriately made in individual cases as they vary considerably according to the circumstances.