Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con):...The amendments in this
group carry a lot of favour, not just within the House but from
bodies such as the coalition of Surfers Against Sewage the Rivers
Trust, Salmon & Trout Conservation, Wildlife and Countryside
Link, Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, and the Angling Trust,
many of which have been working in particular with my noble friend
the Duke of Wellington to put meat on the bones of these
amendments, which obviously aim to reduce the...Request free trial
(Con):...The amendments in this group carry a lot of favour, not
just within the House but from bodies such as the coalition of
Surfers Against Sewage the Rivers
Trust, Salmon & Trout Conservation, Wildlife and Countryside
Link, Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, and the Angling Trust,
many of which have been working in particular with my noble friend
the to put meat on the bones of these amendments,
which obviously aim to reduce the sewage overflow. Amendment 161 in
particular, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of
Whitchurch, looked to my right honourable friend Philip Dunne’s
Bill in the other place. The aim of that amendment and others in
this group is to stop the discharge of untreated sewage going into
inland waters. Obviously, I commend that. However, these amendments
are only part of the solution.
It is unacceptable that water companies are being forced, in many
respects, to connect to major—and sometimes even only minor—new
developments but where those connections are unable to be made
safely. It inevitably leads to the situation that this group of
amendments seeks to address. The amendments in this group are,
therefore, a necessary part of the solution but they would go only
so far in placing a legal duty on water companies to stop the
discharge of water sewage, which I think is what both the noble
Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, and my noble friend the
are seeking to achieve. I hope that we can go
further back in the process and look to prevent many of these false
or unsafe connections being made in the first place. I am delighted
to say that the coalition of Surfers Against Sewage and others is
aware of that and it is their intention to support my amendments in
the next group...
(Lab): My Lords, I thank all
noble Lords who have spoken and supported our amendment this
evening. I also pay tribute to Surfers Against Sewage for its
excellent campaigning role in highlighting the terrible current
state of our water quality...
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