§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to protect the water environment from pollution by dangerous substances; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIn Scotland, controls on discharges of dangerous substances to the water environment are exercised by the river purification authorities under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
Discharges must enable receiving waters to meet relevant environmental quality standards—EQSs. EQSs have already been set for 10 red list substances: proposals for EQSs for the remaining red list substances are set out in a consultation paper to be issued shortly, and copies of which I have placed in the Library today.