§ Q165. Dr. GodmanTo ask the Prime Minister what steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to stop industrial waste dumping in the North sea, by 31 December, in line with its written declaration at the second ministerial conference on the protection of the North sea in 1987; and if she will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterThe United Kingdom is fully meeting international agreements reached unanimously by the North sea countries. Ministers at the second North sea conference agreed that disposal at sea of industrial wastes should not be prohibited if there were no practical alternative means of disposal on land and if it could be shown to the Oslo commission that the materials caused no harm in the marine environment. The Oslo commission in 1989 agreed the procedure by which a country would show that a waste met these criteria.
No deadline has been set internationally for termination of sea disposal. However, the Government are seeking to end sea disposal of these wastes at the earliest possible time. Of the 20 licences issued in 1987 for disposal of liquid industrial waste at sea more than half will not be renewed next year. The remainder will be terminated as soon as environmentally acceptable alternative means of disposal have been identified and implemented. The Oslo commission agreed earlier this year that even when an alternative disposal option is identified a transitional period will be needed before sea disposal can end, to give time for introduction of the alternative arrangements.