HC Deb 06 July 1987 vol 119 cc3-10
1. Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what research his Department is sponsoring into the quality of Welsh domestic water supplies.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Ian Grist)

Research into the quality of United Kingdom domestic water supplies is sponsored by the Department of the Environment. This Department does participate in the formulation of the water research programme. In the current year, £1.1 million of the research programme relates to domestic water supplies.

Mr. Davies

May I first congratulate the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central (Mr. Grist) on his new appointment? Does he accept the latest medical evidence that there can be no safe level of lead in domestic water supplies? Will he accept that in Wales, where the water is becoming increasingly acidic and where one in four households have lead pipes, the problem is particularly severe? Will he press the EEC to lower its acceptable levels, and will he undertake to sponsor in his Department an immediate programme of public education so that people who are receiving contaminated water will be aware of the fact, of its causes and of its possible remedies?

Mr. Grist

First, I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind words at the outset of his remarks. Secondly, I hope that he is not trying to promote public panic and concern over this matter. It is a serious issue, but the Welsh water authority has a programme in hand whereby originally it identified some 600,000 persons who were affected. Some 350,000 persons have already been cleared. Currently, 125,000 are being cleared, and it hopes that it will finish the programme in the next 18 months. That should put people's minds at rest.

Mr. Dickens

Does my hon. Friend accept that something stronger than Welsh water must have been drunk by two Welsh Members to have wasted so much parliamentary time earlier?

Mr. Livsey

I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. What will he do to guarantee the quality of water in Wales, should the Welsh water authority be privatised? Does he not think that with the leanings of his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to wetness this is a totally inappropriate matter for privatisation?

Mr. Grist

No, I do not. What is more, the standard of safety will be maintained under the privatised system. The national rivers authority will be taking over the responsibility for research in the area from the water authorities.

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