§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on causes for the downgrading of the River Aire from class two to class four.
§ Mr. MoynihanSections of the River Aire have been classified as class 4 since the inception of the present river quality classification scheme. I am not aware of any downgrading to class 4. Major improvement works, particularly at the Esholt and Knostrop sewage treatment works, which are in the Yorkshire water authority's capital programme, should result in the Aire achieving its long-term quality objectives of class 2 by the mid-1990s.