§ Sir Hector MonroTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will announce the publication date of the report on the quality of Scottish bathing waters mentioned in his written answer on 5 May,Official Report, column 536.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Scottish Development Department published today the report "Bathing Water in Scotland, Results of Monitoring: 1986 and 1987."
I should emphasise that the report deals with the quality of the 23 waters in Scotland identified in terms of the EC bathing waters directive. It does not deal with the condition of beaches nor with the provision of facilities such as changing accommodation, toilets and catering.
The report describes the main provisions of the EC directive and the way in which the 23 Scottish waters were identified in 1987. It goes on to tabulate and discuss the results of monitoring by the river purification boards in the 1986 and 1987 bathing seasons.
In 1987, the first full season of monitoring, 19 of the 23 waters met the directives quality standards. In addition, the failure at Turnberry was the result of temporary circumstances and is being followed up by the river purification board; and further monitoring is required at Ayr to establish whether improvements to the sewerage system are necessary. There is no doubt, however, that the waters at Irvine and Girvan do not meet the directive's standards and that Strathclyde regional council will have to improve the sewerage systems in order to comply with the standards of the directive.
A success rate of over 80 per cent. in identified bathing waters is nevertheless encouraging. The general standard of Scottish coastal and estuarial waters is excellent, including those bathing waters which are not identified under the directive. We can look forward to the improvement of problem areas through further investment by industry, and by the regional councils which have plans for expenditure of £60 million on sewerage schemes over the next five years.
I wish to pay tribute to the work of the river purification boards. Their efforts have contributed greatly to the improvement of water quality generally over the years, and their independent status means that we have reliable information on bathing waters and the rest of the aquatic environment.