Aluminium (Water Supplies) (Hansard, 8 May 1989)

§ 11. Dr. Kim Howells
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide a detailed record of the aluminium levels in domestic water supplied in mid and south Glamorgan by the Welsh water authority in 1988–89.

§ Mr. Grist
This is a matter for the Welsh water authority and the information is not held by my Department.

§ Dr. Howells
Is the Minister aware that a great many of my constituents are extremely worried about the high levels of aluminium being recorded in domestic water supplies from Welsh Water? Will he agree that the people of Wales pay a high enough price for water without having to worry about ill health? If he agrees, will he have a word with his noble Friend Lord Crickhowell about putting matters right?

§ Mr. Grist
The hon. Gentleman and his constituents can at least be comforted by the fact that the Welsh water authority's programmes have improvements in hand which will remove the aluminium by 1992 at the latest. Although it has been concluded that there is a link between Alzheimer's disease and aluminium—I think that that is the hon. Gentleman's point—it has not yet been proven and further studies are being undertaken. There is no absolute proof.

§ Mr. Morgan
Will the Minister explain why it is that when improvements are sought in the quality of water supply, the Welsh water authority says that money is limited for capital expenditure, yet when politics and its relationship with the Government demand, it is able to find £2 million, this year alone, for advertising its corporate existence? There never seems to be a shortage of money then.

§ Mr. Grist
It is worth pointing out that the Welsh water authority has 35 remedial work schemes, which are estimated to cost £96.7 million, which makes the figures that the hon. Gentleman mentioned look small beer.

§ Mr. John Marshall
Does my hon. Friend agree that the Welsh water industry will be able to increase its capital expenditure once it is able to tap the private market for funds?

§ Mr. Grist
Absolutely, and with a flexibility and capacity to think in the long term which a state enterprise does not have because it has to answer to the Exchequer's needs in running the total economy.