§ 49. Mr. SpellerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many separate sets of permission he has granted in the past 10 years for the dumping of sewage sludge, capital spoil or other materials such as low-level waste products from nuclear plants in the Bristol Channel within 20 miles of the north Devon coastline.
§ Mr. GummerLicences under the Dumping at Sea Act 1974 and its successor legislation, the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, have been issued from 1978 to date in the area specified as follows:
- a. Two licences, renewed annually, for disposal of sewage sludge;
- b. Three licences, each for one year, for disposal of dredged spoil arising from new works;
- c. Seven licences, each for one year, and one renewed for a total of four years, for disposal of spoil arising from maintenance dredging;
- d. 12 licences for disposal of liquid industrial waste; most were renewed for more than one year; all have now terminated.
Five disposal sites have been approved over the period.
Authorisations have been granted jointly with the Secretary of State for the Environment under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 for the discharge by pipeline of low-level liquid radioactive waste into the Bristol channel from the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations and from Amersham International plc.