HC Deb 24 January 1990 vol 165 cc885-6
12. Mr. Andrew Welsh

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his latest estimates of the capital investment required to meet European Community directives on water standards.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

We have notified the Commission of the £1.8 billion that water undertakers in England and Wales will be spending over the next five years to remedy current situations of non-compliance with the EC drinking water directive.

Water companies also have investment programmes totalling £1.4 billion to improve bathing water quality.

Mr. Welsh

Why is it taking European court action against the British Government to force the pace in bringing British water supplies up to recommended European standards? Is it not disgraceful that levels of aluminium, lead and other substances above European standards are daily being ingested by millions of people in Britain? As a lead pipe replacement programme would solve the lead problem, is the Minister encouraging his housing colleagues to reverse their present policy of reducing finance for such a project as part of a general scheme to bring British water supplies up to European standards?

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

The hon. Gentleman mentioned lead. In fact, our national standards are more stringent than that required under the European directive. He also mentioned aluminium, where the directive standard is aesthetic rather than for health reasons because water containing aluminium can appear cloudy even though it is safe to drink. We have drawn up a comprehensive and fully funded programme of compliance and agreed it with the water service companies

Mr. Speaker

Mr. Richard Holt.

Hon. Members

Favouritism.

Mr. Speaker

It is not favouritism, it is compassion.

Mr. Holt

My hon. Friend may be aware that at lunchtime today I had the privilege of hosting a table of parliamentary guests from Belgium, who are in this country to discuss water because of the excellence of our supplies. They said that Brussels does not have a single water purification plant. In view of that, before the EEC starts telling us what to do with our water, it should get its own house in order.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

My hon. Friend makes a good point. We understand that the Commission has begun infraction proceedings against virtually every other member state. Even if we do appear before the European Court for an alleged breach of the drinking water directive, it will be our first case. I remind my hon. Friend that 68 other breaches of environmental directives by other member states have already come to court. Instead of being the dirty man of Europe, we have one of the best programmes and records of compliance of any country in Europe.

Mr. Ron Brown

Is not London water recycled six or seven times? That may go down well with some people—possibly because it is time that people in the city had a pure water supply. Is not that a basic right? Is it not something that the Government should consider with real intent as these basic issues will arise time and again? It is a rip off.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory

London water is entirely safe to drink, even if it has been recycled through the hon. Gentleman. The Water Act 1989, by placing those companies in the private sector, has given them access to additional investment finance, while setting rigorous independent scrutiny by regulations.