§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to reduce to zero by the year 2000 inputs of toxic discharges into the North sea.
§ Mr. TrippierI have been asked to reply.
It is the Government's policy to prevent or (where prevention is not possible) minimise releases of toxic substances to the aquatic environment. Our current target reductions are of the order of 50 per cent. by 1995. They were agreed at the London North sea conference in 1987. The United Kingdom national action plan published on 5 March shows the good progress we have made to date. The progress made by each North sea state will be reviewed at the Hague North sea conference this week.