Nitrate Pollution in Drinking Water (Hansard, 23 March 1989)

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, there is no new draft directive aimed at toughening nitrate pollution standards in drinking water. However, the Government broadly support the recent proposal from the European Commission for a directive which puts forward a range of measures designed to protect surface and groundwaters and coastal waters from pollution by nitrate.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, is it not the case, as has been reported, that the Brussels Commission is considering taking legal action to enforce the higher standards which the rest of the EC insist upon for drinking water? Does that not have a direct effect on the Water Bill now going through Parliament? Will clauses in the Bill have to be changed? Moreover, is the Minister aware that only yesterday his right honourable friend stated that it would take something like £2.5 billion to put our drinking water into the cateogry which is insisted upon by the EC?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I do not think that any of the supplementary questions which the noble Lord asks me relate to the Question on the Order Paper, which is about the new draft directive. However, he is mistaken in thinking that there is a discrepancy between the rest of the Community and ourselves; indeed, we all insist upon the same standards.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, surely the EC has set higher standards than those which are at present being insisted upon by the British Government? Is that not the case? If it is not, there have been many false reports emanating from Brussels as to the action which the EC intends to take to insist that our water suppplies, so far as both nitrates and pesticides are concerned, are brought up to its standards.

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, the standards are consistent throughout Europe; every country has difficulties in meeting the standards of the existing directive both for drinking waters and for bathing waters. Indeed, I saw that there was a case in Germany only 24 hours ago where the authorities had to stop pumping up the water supply because of excess nitrates in that particular area. As I said, every country is facing problems in meeting the levels set by the directive.

§ Lord Nugent of Guildford
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the slant of the Question gives the impression that the drinking water supply in this country has been defective in the past? Is he also aware that it has conformed with the World Health Organisation's standards, which have always been thought to be perfectly adequate? However, now that 828 the European Commission has insisted upon a higher standard, naturally we must conform with it. Is he further aware that, so far as I am concerned, I would drink water with every confidence in any part of this country, while there are very few countries in Europe in which I would do so?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely right. The drinking water in this country is perfectly safe to drink. Indeed, we have more connections to the mains than any other country in Europe. Moreover, I do not think that there is any other country in Europe where one can be totally confident when drinking water out of a tap.

§ Lord Monson
My Lords, important though the reduction in the nitrate level of our drinking water undoubtedly is—here I must disagree somewhat with the noble Lord, Lord Nugent of Guildford—does the noble Earl agree that this is purely an internal British matter which has nothing to do with facilitating the free flow of goods and services between the member states of the EC?

The Earl of Caithness
No, my Lords; I do not agree. If we have signed a directive in Europe, we shall honour it, and other countries will also do so. As my noble friend Lord Nugent said, we must now improve our already good standards.

§ Lord John-Mackie
My Lords, as agriculture has been blamed for the nitrates in water, can the Minister say whether any costings have been done to see if it would be cheaper to clean up the water or buy in foreign wheat?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, there are a number of areas at which we are looking in respect of the nitrate problem, as the noble Lord knows. My right honourable friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food made a recent Statement in another place on the matter.

§ Lord Renton
My Lords, is this not a matter in which prevention is better than cure?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I think that prevention is always better than cure. However, we face a problem at present and we must deal with it.

§ Lord Addington
My Lords, if our water is so safe, why do we have an unpleasantly high increase in bottled water sales? Further, are not people—not in my native area of Norfolk—quite right to be worried about the levels of nitrates in their water, which have been on numerous occasions well above the 50 milligram limit?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, the water is perfectly safe to drink. Indeed, I have been to Norfolk on many occasions and have drunk water there quite happily. We do conform to the standards required. What the EC has done is to set even tighter standards and therefore we must improve, as must other countries. Whether to buy bottled water is entirely a choice for the consumer.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, have not some areas of the country had the benefit of the supply of good quality water in the world, although some other parts are not so well served and are below that standard? Would it not be better for the Government to strive for equalisation of the quality of water supply to the best that we have?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, that is our policy.

§ Lord Hatch of Lusby
My Lords, following the question put by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, regarding Norfolk, is the Minister aware that last week water supplies to Norwich were declared not to be up to EC standards: His honourable friend Mr. Howard went to Norwich to inspect the water. It was categorically stated by an official that the water in Norwich was not up to EC standards and was being affected by nitrates and fertilisers. A statement was made that nothing could be done about the fertiliser element until there was a national policy. When are the Government going to observe a national policy in the light of the EC directives?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, it is well known that a number of water supplies in this country do not meet EC standards. There has been a great deal of expenditure to meet them. But that does not mean what the noble noble Lord implies—that the water is unsafe to drink.