§ 27. Mr. ConwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any plans to seek to increase the penalties currently available to the courts for dealing with those who breach their consents to discharge into rivers.
§ Mr. HowardThe maximum penalties which may be imposed by magistrates for offences under section 32 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 are fines not exceeding £2,000 and terms of imprisonment of up to three months. On indictment in the Crown court there is no limit on the fine that may be imposed and terms of imprisonment can be up to two years. Penalties for pollution offences are kept under regular review but there are no immediate plans for increasing them.