§ Mr. GrahamTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to assist financially the local authorities adjacent to the River Clyde to clean up the foreshore and meet EC bathing standards.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 3 July 1992]: The aggregate external finance settlement takes full account of district councils' responsibility for clearing litter, including that from areas of foreshore to which the public have access.
Bathing water improvement depends on investment in effluent treatment by sewerage authorities and others. For 1992–93 Strathclyde regional council's capital allocation of £83 million for its water and sewerage programme fully meets its planned expenditure and is more than double the level for 1988–89. In addition, over £17 million has already been offered to the council under the Government's sewerage improvement grant scheme which provides assistance towards approved programmes of works to reduce pollution and improve environmental standards.