§ 95. Sir Russell JohnstonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what issues he will raise at the international North sea pollution conference to be held in London on 24 and 25 November.
§ Mr. MoynihanI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) at column448.
§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what volume of chemical waste has been dumped off the British coast in each year since 1970;
(2) what volume of waste material has been dumped off the British coast in each year since 1970.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answers 9 November 1987]: I have been asked to reply.
Statutory controls over the deposit of waste at sea were introduced in 1974. Information on the amounts of waste deposited off the British coast up to 1984 can be found in the annual reports of the Oslo commission, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The equivalent figures for 1985 and 1986 are given below :
Tonnes 1985 1986 Dredgings 12,255,942 13,266,959 Sewage sludge 7,409,851 8,199,640 Solid industrial 1,657,618 1,872,704 Liquid industrial 305,623 282,991 These figures exclude deposits in internal waters behind baselines, which are outside the Oslo convention area, and deposits off the coast of Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what volume of waste material has been dumped off the Yorkshire coast in each year since 1970;
(2) what volume of chemical waste material has been dumped off the Yorkshire coast in each year since 1970.
§ Mr. Gummer(holding answers 9 November 1987]: I have been asked to reply.
Statutory controls over the deposit of waste at sea were introduced in 1974. The amount of waste deposited off the Yorkshire coast each year since then was as follows :
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Tonnes 1975 95,550 1976 95,670 1977 90,950
Tonnes 1978 90,825 1979 94,475 1980 115,630 1981 117,440 1982 91,950 1983 76,050 1984 92,875 1985 77,100 1986 67,364 This material comprises dredged spoils from the ports of Scarborough and Whitby. No chemical waste was deposited off the Yorkshire coast in this period.
§ Mr. Allan RobertsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer of 12 November, how his Department is to keep under review the evidence concerning the possible risk to health arising from bathing in sewage-contaminated water; and if his Department plans to produce a report as a matter of urgency.
§ Mr. MoynihanI am keeping under review both the existing evidence from this country and abroad and the possible need for further epidemiological research. I have no plans at present to publish a report.
§ Mr. Allan RobertsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions are available concerning the percentage reduction in emissions to the atmosphere of hydrocarbons which would be required in order to produce a 1 per cent. reduction in ambient concentrations of troposhpheric ozone, given current emission levels of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and sulphur dioxide; what relationship exists between hydrocarbon emissions and ozone concentrations at higher percentage reductions in hydrocarbons ; and if he will outline the source of this information.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe answer to this question depends on many factors, notably the species of hydrocarbon, the concentrations of other gases and the meterorological conditions. The recent report of the Department's photochemical oxidants review group (a copy of which is in the Library) concluded that the quantitative relation-ship between the concentrations of ozone and its precursors is not as yet well understood. Large reductions of hydrocarbon emissions in the United States of America have failed to bring about the scale of ozone reductions which were predicted.
Harwell laboratory has, however, recently undertaken studies for the Department using one of the most sophisticated computer models yet developed. They show that an across-the-board reduction in hydrocarbons of about 3 per cent. would be required to reduce by 1 per cent. peak hourly ozone concentrations downwind of London in a summertime episode. Reductions of about 75 per cent. would be needed to reduce peak ozone by 50 per cent. Further details may be found in two recent Harwell laboratory reports (R12408, R12859; HMSO) copies of which I have placed in the Library.
Mr. Robert G. HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to promote a broader approach towards controlling release of the most dangerous substances into the aquatic environment.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe Government have been giving careful consideration to the proposals made in the 15th report of the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities (Session 1984/85), and in568W particular to the Committee's view that EC members states should work towards a unified approach to controlling discharges of dangerous substances, which would involve both meeting prescribed quality standards in the receiving waters and minimising discharges from individual sources. A similar view was expressed in the recent report on the pollution of rivers and estuaries by the House of Commons Select Committee on the Environment. Ministers from participating countries also agreed to work towards developing such an approach at the 1984 ministerial conference on the North sea at Bremen.
The Government agrees that EC member states should seek to develop a unified approach to the control of the most dangerous substances, whose long-term effects on the environment are uncertain. We propose to do so in the United Kingdom. The Government consider that the main elements of the unified approach in this country should be:
—to identify a limited range of the most dangerous substances, on the basis of strict scientific criteria, to be termed the "Red List".—to set environmental quality standards, wherever scientifically possible, for all "Red List" substances:—to set emission standards based on the best available technology not entailing excessive cost for industrial processes discharging significant quantities of these substances;—to take further measures where necessary to control inputs of "Red List" substances from diffuse sources;The new policy on point source emissions will directly affect the small number of industrial plants which discharge in their waste water heavy metals or organic chemicals of a particularly dangerous character. The initial focus will be on new and refurbished plants; this will allow any increases in industrial costs to be phased in over a number of years and planned for. The policy is not expected to impose significant additional costs on water authorities, or other sewage undertakings.
In relation to those "Red Lists" substances which enter the aquatic environment from indirect and diffuse sources, the Government recognise the need for effective controls over the supply, storage and use of these substances.
The new approach will require legislation, including amendments to part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
We shall be publishing detailed proposals and consulting industry and others on these in due course. The Government will also be outlining this more precautionary approach to Environment Ministers attending the second international conference on the North sea in London on 24 and 25 November.