asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the uncertainty as to whether the river authorities or the drainage boards are responsible for clearing the pollution from small rivers, as indicated by the correspondence sent to him by the hon. Member for Louth, if he will give a direction on this point to water undertakers; and if he will make a statement.

I have written to the hon. Member about this case. I do not think there is any uncertainty about the respective roles of river authorities, who are the responsible bodies under the Rivers (Prevention of Pollution) Acts, and the internal drainage boards, which have no powers under those Acts but have discretionary powers to carry out works on watercourses in their area to improve drainage of land and to prevent flooding.Pollution legislation is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government.