HL Deb 16 March 1972 vol 329 cc513-5

3.17 p.m.

LORD DOUGLAS OF BARLOCH

My 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 to what extent public water supplies have been tested in recent years for the presence of cyanide, and with what results.]

THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT (LORD SANDFORD)

My Lords, water undertakings regularly analyse the water they put into supply, and they carry out special tests if they have any reason to suspect the presence of any particular contaminants.

LORD DOUGLAS OF BARLOCH

My Lords, while thanking the Minister for that reply, which does not really meet the point I had in mind, may I say that what I want to know is the frequency and extent of the analyses which are made, because unless they are carried out on a systematic basis the result will not be statistically significant.

LORD SANDFORD

My Lords, I cannot give the noble Lord a full answer to that question because I should have to relate it to the whole range of hundreds and hundreds of water undertakings, all of whom test their water supplies in different ways. But I think it likely that next week we shall be discussing a Bill dealing with dumping of poisonous wastes when there will be ample opportunity to go further into this point.

LORD DOUGLAS OF BARLOCH

My Lords, may ask the noble Lord whether any of these analyses have disclosed the presence of cyanide in water supplies?

LORD SANDFORD

My Lords, over recent weeks the results of these tests, or some of the results, have been submitted to the Department; but the inspections of these do not lead us at the moment to feel that any regular arrangements on these lines ought to be made. As the noble Lord will see when we get the Bill which has been introduced in another place, it will be a requirement under that Bill that the dumping of polluting substances should be reported to river authorities.

LORD DOUGLAS OF BARLOCH

My Lords, is it not very remarkable, in view of the number of cases which have come to light recently of the indiscriminate dumping of cyanide, that none of this has got into any water supplies? Is that really credible?

LORD SANDFORD

My Lords, I leave it to the noble Lord to judge whether it is remarkable; but it is a fact.

LORD SHACKLETON

My Lords, is the noble Lord specifically saying—because he did not give that answer the first time—that no cyanide has been found in water supplies in recent years? It may be that he does not wish to cause alarm and despondency; but if he could give an answer to this question it would be helpful.

LORD SANDFORD

My Lords, I think the noble Lord will realise that to give an absolutely categorical answer to that effect would be impossible without carrying out a tremendous amount of research. The significant fact is that the tests that the water undertakers have been carrying out over a whole range of likely contaminants of drinking water have not yielded any results which cause anxiety or which would require the existing arrangements to be amended.

LORD SHACKLETON

My Lords, whether the results are significant or not, will the noble Lord try to answer the question: has any cyanide been found in water supplies? If he does not know the answer then I am sure the House will be content to accept a "Don't know"—in which case we might ask the question another day.

LORD SANDFORD

My Lords, it is not so much a question of knowing as of not having complete access to all the information, which has not hitherto been referred to the Department of the Environment. It is held by the water undertakers themselves.