NORTH WEST WATER

Early day motion 332, tabled 31 January 2000 by Peter Pike (Labour). Signed by 30 members.

That this House deplores the refusal of North West Water, a privatised water utility company, acting on behalf of the public as the prosecuting authority, to reveal why it dropped pollution charges relating to a pollution incident in the River Calder in 1995 by the chemical company NIPA Laboratories at their Oswaldtwistle site when the case came before Blackburn Magistrates' Court on Friday 28th January; demands an explanation, as a matter of urgency, of allegations made that an agreement was made between the two companies' lawyers before the arranged court hearing which involved a six figure payment by NIPA to North West Water as 'costs' and, on the understanding that details of the settlement would not be made public; notes that the same company on Monday 31 January appeared in Burnley Crown Court for a serious air pollution incident and was fined ú20,000 and ordered to pay ú54,000 costs; and asks the Environment Agency to carry out a full investigation into the company's actions.

Signatures by party: Labour 28, Liberal Democrat 2.