§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the estimated cost to each local authority of providing alternative methods of sewage and waste disposal when the ban on dumping such waste at sea is enforced; if he will provide these funds to secure an immediate ban; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIn Scotland, there are no licences in force for dumping of industrial waste at sea and none will be issued. The only current licences issued in Scotland are for dumping of sewage sludge at sea by local authorities. The announcement by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 5 March 1990 that dumping of sewage sludge at sea is to be phased out by the end of 1998 affects two sewerage authorities, Strathclyde and Lothian. These authorities will now be required to find alternative land-based disposal routes and their preliminary assessments indicate that the capital cost of incineration as an alternative to sea disposal might be about £52 million in Strathclyde and about £12 million in Lothian. As new disposal facilities will take time to design, obtain planning permission, and construct, an immediate ban on sea disposal would not be practicable.