HC Deb 08 July 1999 vol 334 cc593-4W
Mr. Burgon

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to announce new designations under the European Commission's Shellfish Waters Directive. [90923]

Mr. Meacher

A list of 93 areas in England to be designated under the Shellfish Waters Directive has been placed in the House. New designations will be made in 76 locations and the existing 17 designations will be included within revised boundaries for those areas.

These new designations take account of views expressed in a wide ranging public consultation exercise. I believe that they will more than meet the expectations of the shellfish industry. This extensive package of new designations will improve our environmental credentials in Europe. It represents very good news for the shellfish industry, the quality of whose harvests will be improved. But, more importantly from a water quality viewpoint, it should be good news for environmentalists, who should see yet further improvements in water quality around our coasts and in estuaries. Pollution control measures for designated waters will help improve nearby bathing waters.

I believe that all shellfish waters currently in need of protection are now covered by the pollution prevention measures which apply following designation. But I will keep the situation under review so that other shellfish areas can be protected where necessary.

For public health reasons, we need to minimise the levels of bacteria in shellfish. The Government's aim is that bacteriological standards should be achieved in designated waters which allow harvesting areas to achieve at least category B standard under the system applied by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to classify shellfish harvesting areas for food safety purposes.

We expect the total cost of improvements to continuous and intermittent discharges affecting shellfish waters in England to be around £81 million between 2000 and 2005. Much of this expenditure is necessary to achieve other water quality and environmental objectives, including those for bathing waters. The current Periodic Review of water company price limits will include allowance for the necessary investment by water companies.