HC Deb 14 November 1990 vol 180 cc160-1W
36. Mr. Sillars

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide the latest figures which are available on the compliance of bathing waters with the European Community bathing water standards.

Mr. Trippier

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh).

Mr. Pawsey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in improving the quality of bathing waters, and when he expects all bathing waters to meet the standards in the EC bathing water directive.

Mr. Chris Patten

Provisional results for the survey carried out during the 1990 bathing season showed that 77 per cent. of the 446 identified bathing waters in the United Kingdom met the mandatory coliform bacteria standards of the EC bathing water directive. This compares with 76 per cent. of the 440 identified bathing waters in 1989.

Although this maintains the steady improvement of recent years, I believe that more urgent action is required to bring all our bathing waters up to the highest standards. Last March I announced that in future all substantial discharges of sewage to sea should be treated at a sewage treatment works. The estimated cost of this was £1.5 billion. I am now able to announce that following discussions with the water companies in England and Wales, they have agreed to provide additional treatment for around 40 improvement schemes at an estimated cost of about £600 million over the next five years. This is on top of the £1.4 billion bathing water compliance programme announced last year which the companies have also agreed to advance where possible.

Bathing Waters. Survey—1990 results for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Compliance with bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC): Coliform Standard
Pass Fail Total
England
Northumbrian Region 21 (20) 12 (12) 32 (32)
Yorkshire Region 17 (18) 5 (4) 22 (22)
Anglian Region 27 (23) 2 (5) 29 (28)
Thames Region 3 (3) 0 0 3 (3)
Southern Region 48 (45) 18 (20) 66 (65)
Wessex Region 39 (31) 0 (7) 39 (38)
South West Region 118 (113) 15 (19) 133 (132)
North West Region 10 (11) 23 (22) 33 (33)
Wales 35 (40) 15 (8) 50 (48)
Scotland 12 (16) 11 (7) 23 (23)
Northern Ireland 15 (16) 1 0 16 (16)
Totals 345 (336) 101 (104) 446 (440)

Results for 1989 are in brackets.