HC Deb 17 May 1990 vol 172 cc514-5W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland why the 1987 licence to dump explosives from ICI's Nobel division in the Clyde estuary was excluded from the 1989 "Disposal of Waste At Sea" report; what other licences granted in respect of dumping at sea have been excluded from the report; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lang

Information on the licence for ICI to dump explosive waste at the Birch Point site in the firth of Clyde was omitted in error from the report "Disposal of Waste at Sea—1986–87". The information in respect of Scotland was based on material which had been compiled for another purpose which did not require information on this type of dump site. The omission of figures in respect of the ICI licence for dumping at Birch Point was not noticed in preparation of this report.

I regret and apologise for this unintended omission. The information which should have been included in the report for 1986 and 1987, and the corresponding details for 1988 and 1989, are as follows:

Licences to dump solid industrial waste at Birch Point in the Firth of Clyde
Licensee Amount licensed for dumping (tonnes) Amount dumped (tonnes)
Gross Net
1986 ICI Nobel's 250 19.3 16.0
1987 ICI Nobel's 250 75.0 62.7
1988 ICI Nobel's 250 19.5 15.5
1989 ICI Nobel's 250 102.0 69.1

The licences for ICI in each year permitted dumping of wastes arising from the production of explosives and returned explosives (classes 1–4 of the 1984 Health and Safety Executive list of authorised explosives) including, in 1989, the slurry explosive NE1820 (class 2). The amount permitted for dumping in the licences granted to ICI Nobel applied to the gross quantity of material to be dumped including inert weighting, absorbent and packaging material (which are excluded from the net figures of amounts actually dumped).

Details of all licences issued for the dumping of waste at sea in Scottish waters are available for inspection on a public register maintained by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland as required under section 14 of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985.