§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish in theOfficial Report the number of recorded incidents of river pollution, the number of related prosecutions and the number of convictions in England in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe number of reported water pollution incidents recorded by English water authorities in each year between 1980 and 1987, has been published in the Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics (No. 11, 1988), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
The number of prosecutions brought by the English water authorities under section 31 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, are as follows:
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Year Total prosecutions 1980–81 91 1981–82 129 1982–83 124 1983–84 173 1984–85 206
Year Total prosecutions 1985–86 201 1986–87 254 Figures for years prior to 1980–81 are not held by the Department and figures for 1987–88 are not yet available.
Information about convictions following prosecutions is collected by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, but it is not in a directly comparable form. I understand, however, that on average, around 90 per cent. of these cases result in convictions.