§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the causes of the decrease in the percentage of consented discharges achieving a minimum of 80 per cent. compliance with conditions for discharge into rivers in the Welsh Water Authority area as reported in table 2.10 of Environmental Digest for Wales No. 4 for 1988–89; and what action his Department has taken to tackle this trend.
§ Mr. GristOne of the general duties of the National Rivers Authority, which was established last year, is to506W monitor and improve the quality of rivers and other controlled waters. Since its establishment, the authority has increased monitoring of rivers and effluents, is applying stricter conditions and prosecuting a greater proportion of offenders for consent failures. In 1989–90 the performance recorded reversed the trend suggested in 1988–89 and continued the improvements shown in the preceding years. The reasons why the performance overall of discharges of trade effluent should deteriorate in any particular year are unknown.