§ 2.39 p.m.
LORD INGLEWOODMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average amount of water daily flowing from Scottish hydro or other electric installations or reservoirs into channels or rivers flowing into the Solway Firth, and what use is made of this water either for industrial purposes or domestic supply.]
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND (LORD HUGHES)My Lords, the total amount of water reaching the Solway Firth from power stations averages about 700 million gallons a day, and normally varies from about 10 million gallons to about 2,400 million gallons a day, depending on the demand on the power stations. Apart from a small quantity of water made available to New Galloway, if required, none of this water is used for public water supplies; nor, so far as is known, is any of it used for private industrial supplies.
LORD INGLEWOODMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. Could I ask him to give us an assurance that when the water resources of this country of ours are being planned water supplies on both sides of the Border will be taken into account, and that the Border between England and Scotland will not be used as a watertight barrier, even though the Statutes governing both supply and distribution are different on each side?
§ LORD HUGHESYes, my Lords.