§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any proposals to assist regional and islands councils in Scotland to improve their sewage and sewerage discharge systems in order to meet requirements of the European Community directive on shellfish waters.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 11 December 1989]: Monitoring of waters designated under the European Community Directive on the Quality Required of Shellfish Waters is the responsibility of the river purification authorities. Where such waters fail to meet the standards of the directive, regional and islands councils, as sewerage authorities, may in some circumstances be required to carry out improvement works.
My right hon. and learned Friend announced to the House on 6 December a major increase in investment in Scotland over the next three years. The additional resources announced will mean a programme of £500 million over these years for water and sewerage services. This will allow regional and islands councils, who decide their own priorities in the light of local needs, to make faster progress in further improving the quality of the environment including inshore waters.