River Mersey (Hansard, 16 May 1990)

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what programmes the Government have implemented or plan to implement to encourage the. application and development of clean technology in the River Mersey area.
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§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
I have been asked to reply.
Part I of the Environmental Protection Bill will apply integrated pollution control to industrial and other processes which have a significant potential to pollute. Under integrated pollution control, discharges to the water environment will be subject for the first time to requirements to apply clean technology to minimise polluting wastes and render them harmless. Many such processes are located in the Mersey basin.

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress the River Mersey campaign has made towards the agreements in the North sea conference for(a) 50 per cent. reduction in red list substances and (b) 70 per cent. reduction in heavy metals.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
I have been asked to reply.
It was agreed at the second North sea conference to reduce quantities of substances that are persistent toxic and liable to bioaccumulate, reaching the North sea by values in the order of 50 per cent. The Government took the view that other seas around the United Kingdom would be given the same degree of environmental safeguarding. Progress in implementation of this was published in the United Kingdom North sea action plan which was presented to the third North sea conference in March 1990. The Mersey catchment basin has made a satisfactory contribution to this progress.
It was agreed at the third North sea conference. for substances that cause a major threat to the marine environment, and at least for dioxines, mercury, cadmium and lead, to achieve reductions between 1985 and 1995 of total inputs of the order of 70 per cent. or more, provided that the use of the best available technology or other low waste technology measures enables such reductions. The Department is preparing guidance on how this should be implemented.