HC Deb 25 November 1969 vol 792 cc177-8
6. Mr. Gwynfor Evans

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the water collected in Welsh reservoirs is used in England; and what is the daily gallonage involved.

Mr. George Thomas

As the hon. Member was told on 21st March, 1967, and 10th April, 1968, it is not practicable to give such figures for the new regulating reservoirs. These and the older impounding reservoirs from which water is taken directly into supply for use in England account at present for nearly 70 per cent. of the storage capacity of reservoirs in Wales. The average daily quantity taken into use from the older reservoirs in 1958 was 136 million gallons.—[Vol. 743, c. 236; Vol. 762, c. 286.]

Mr. Gwynfor Evans

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that if the Government had not broken their promise, either given cynically or broken cynically, to establish a Welsh Water Board there would today be a safeguard against the depredations made on Welsh rural com- munities, and Wales today would be receiving a substantial income of millions of pounds from the sale of this very rich national resource?

Mr. Thomas

The hon. Member must live in cloud-cuckoo-land. He is responsible to this House and to the people of Wales for not misleading the Welsh people. Water would still be required if he had his way. This Answer ought to satisfy any reasonable person.

Mr. Fred Evans

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in Italy the town of Milan extracts water from a river which subsequently flows into a Swiss canton and it pays the Swiss canton an indemnity for the loss of water it would otherwise have gained. Can he, on this analogy, envisage a situation in which Wales will be paying England? Can my right hon. Friend envisage a situation in which we shall have a kind of western range war between English local authorities and Wales over rights to water holes?

Mr. Thomas

Water is essential for life. [AN HON. MEMBER: "Not too much of it."] I confine myself to water. The United Kingdom is one, and the people of these islands will be in a sorry way if ever bigoted people try so to divide the United Kingdom that the essentials of life are withheld.