§ Mr. LathamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the progress of the investigation by the National Rivers Authority into the death of dogs and sheep at Rutland Water, following the growth of toxic algae in the water; and whether it is intended(a) to bring prosecutions against Anglian Water under the Water Act 1989 or (b) to recommend the payment of compensation to the owners of the dead animals or of affected businesses.
§ Mr. HowardI understand that the National Rivers Authority has been monitoring the sites it had identified as affected, or potentially affected, by toxic blue-green algae, including Rutland Water, and that the incidence is declining.The results of its tests are available on the public registers maintained by the NRA, and have been notified to the land owners, who have been given suggestions as to appropriate precautions. The NRA's investigations into the causes are continuing, though algal blooms are a normal seasonal phenomenon, and it is not thought that these are the result of specific polluting incidents. Any decisions on follow-up action including questions of possible prosecution would be for the NRA.