HL Deb 09 October 1989 vol 511 c133WA
The Earl of Selkirk

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the consent of the river board will be required before treated sewage can be discharged into any river in England.

Lord Hesketh

From 1st September, responsibility for consenting all types of discharges into rivers and other controlled waters in England and Wales has passed to the new National Rivers Authority (NRA). There is no requirement for the consent of the River Purification Board to be obtained for discharges made in England into rivers which straddle or cross the border into Scotland. However, under Section 106(2) of the Water Act 1989, the NRA is under a duty to monitor pollution in controlled waters and to consult, in such cases as it considers appropriate, with river purification authorities in Scotland.