§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the effects on pollution levels of the granting to water authorities of lower discharge consents under the Water Bill.
§ Mr. HowardOn 7 December I announced a capital programme costing around £1 billion to bring substandard sewage treatment works into compliance with their discharge consents by March 1992. In line with established practice, water authorities may apply for time-limited discharge consents for these works to regularise current performance while improvements take place. The remedial programme is expected to lead to significant improvements in river quality and consent conditions no less stringent than those that currently apply will be reintroduced once improvements are completed.
In the interim, and as an additional environmental safeguard, the time-limited consents will incorporate new upper-tier conditions defining absolute maximum limits for specified pollutants.
The Water Bill will strengthen the framework for water pollution control. It will be for the new National Rivers Authority (NRA) to determine discharge consents and, in doing so, it will have a duty to achieve the statutory quality objectives to be set for all rivers.