§ Mr. Sternasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he maintains a central register of toxic waste dumps; whether the drainage waters from such dumps are subjected to routine monitoring by his Department or any other agency; and to what extent the implications of drainage on the water table in the vicinity of each dump are taken into account.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy Department does not keep a central register of specifically toxic waste dumps, although such sites will be included in the Hazardous Waste Inspectorate's record of licensed disposal sites. The monitoring of drainage waters from such sites is carried out, where specified as a site licence condition, either by the relevant regional water authority or by the relevant waste disposal authority on their behalf; the implications of site drainage on the water table are taken into account when both planning and site licensing are determined. The 767W waste disposal authority has a duty to refuse an application for a waste disposal licence for the purpose of preventing pollution of water.