HC Deb 25 January 1989 vol 145 c645W
86. Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of riverborne pollution in the Irish sea comes from British rivers.

Mr. Moynihan

The recent status report prepared for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea by scientists from the UK and Ireland summarises available information on inputs from rivers to the Irish sea. The information supplied for river discharges from English and Welsh coasts, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland indicates that for the majority of anthropogenic inputs, the proportion coming from English and Welsh rivers ranges between 50 and 80 per cent. and is typically about two thirds. As the report indicates, the data available is of variable quality.