To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the materials which were licensed for dumping in the Irish sea and North channel, (a) within and (b) outside the area known as the Beaufort's dyke, in each of the last 20 years giving a brief description of such materials indicating who issued licensing permits for such dumping and the original source of the dumped material. [38590]
[holding answer 25 October 1995]: The Scottish Office is responsible for licensing the disposal of materials at sea in Scottish waters.
The majority of licences issued by the Department over the past 20 years in respect of the North channel and Irish sea have related to the dumping of dredge spoil to facilitate the safe passage of vessels, or from engineering works. In addition, licences have been issued covering the disposal of 50 tonnes of nitrocellulose sludge from the ICI/Nobels Ardeer explosives factory in 1974, 3,213 tonnes of creamery waste from the Stranraer creamery in 1978 and 1,890 tonnes of rainwater contaminated with gas liquors from a number of dismantled gas holders in 1985.