§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Prime Minister what recent representations she has received concerning action to reduce marine pollution.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government have recently had representations from a wide range of interested organisations and individuals including industry, environmental groups and members of the public in the run-up to the third North sea conference which took place in The Hague last week on 7 and 8 March.
The United Kingdom played a full and constructive part at the conference which, among other measures, agreed to
reduce discharges to rivers and atmosphere for substances causing a major threat to the marine environment, such as cadmium, mercury, dioxins and lead by 70 per cent. or more by 1995;reduce emissions to the atmosphere for 17 dangerous substances by 50 per cent. or more by 1995, and at the latest by 1999;phase out all remaining identifiable uses of PCB by 1999 and to destroy them as far as possible in the country of origin and using storage only as an interim option;reduce nutrient inputs to the North sea by improving sewage discharge treatment standards and adopting secondary treatment as a general rule with exceptions in less sensitive areas;329Wend sewage sludge dumping at sea at the latest by 1998 and to develop a programme to achieve this as soon as possible;end incineration in the North sea by the end of 1991 (the United Kingdom will end it by the end of this year);protect dolphin and small cetacean species in the North sea and to co-operate on a programme to identify and protect a network of marine wildlife conservation sites around the North sea.