§ Mr. DunnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce the results of this year's bathing water quality monitoring; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanResults of the monitoring during the 1992 bathing session show that 79 per cent. of the 455 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. in 1991, and 77 per cent. in 1990.
Most waters now consistently meet the required standards and it is encouraging to note that of 18,000 samples taken this season 96 per cent. were satisfactory. Schemes in the £2 billion clean-up programme coming into operation in the next few years are designed to bring the minority of non-compliant bathing waters up to standard.
The main results for the United Kingdom are summarised in the table. A report with detailed results will be placed in the Library in due course.
Bathing Waters survey—1992 results for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland—(Compliance with Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC): Coliform Standards) Pass Fail Total England and Wales NRA Regions Northumbrian 20(21) 14(12) 34(33) Yorkshire 20(19) 2(3) 22(22) Anglian 31(29) 2(4) 33(33) Thames 3(2) 0(1) 3(3) Southern 51(45) 16(22) 67(67) Wessex 36(36) 3(3) 39(39) South West 117(105) 17(28) 134(133) North West 11(10) 22(23) 33(33) Welsh 39(45) 12(6) 51(51) Total 328(312) 88(102) 416(414) Scotland 15(15) 8(8) 23(23) Northern Ireland 15(16) 1(0) 16(16) Grand Total 358(343) 97(110) 455(453) Note: Results for 1991 are in brackets.