§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each year since 1988 all organisations or projects investigating minewater pollution which have received, or are receiving, financial or grant aid support from his Department.
§ Mr. AtkinsComprehensive information in the form required is not readily available. However, the National242W Rivers Authority is currently funding a pilot project at the Wheal Jane tin mine in Cornwall devoted to identifying low cost treatment options. The NRA is jointly funding, with the British Oxygen Company Foundation for Environmental and Community Research, projects to examine low cost treatment technologies for discharges from disused mines involving the River Pelena in south Wales and the Little Don in Yorkshire. The NRA is also collaborating in a study with the Welsh Development Agency into the efficiency of engineered wetlands for the removal of metals and acidity from discharges from abandoned mines.
§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he or his Department last held meetings with(a) the National Rivers Authority and (b) British coal to discuss minewater pollution in the Durham coalfield.
§ Mr. AtkinsMy Department maintains regular contact with the National Rivers Authority about this and other issues. Liaison with British Coal is a matter for the NRA, and there are well-established arrangements.
§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of the Wardell-Armstrong report on minewater pollution.
§ Mr. AtkinsAdditional copies of Wardell Armstrong's final report on the potential impact of ceasing mine dewatering in the south-western part of the Durham coalfield are being produced. They will be placed in the House Library as soon as they are available.