§ Mr. Heddleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if it remains the Government's intention to implement the Reservoirs Act 1975; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawA decision to implement the Reservoirs Act 1975 was announced during Committee discussions on the Water Bill in another place on 8 March 1983.—[Vol. 44, c. 216–20.] This decision followed the recommendations of the report of the water industry' by the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, published this January.
The Select Committee recommended that the major provisions of the 1975 Act should be implemented in order to improve reservoir safety, which it suggests is inadequately served by the Reservoirs (Safety Provisions) Act 1930. Surveys carried out by the Government during 1982 confirmed that reservoir inspection and its documentation have not always been accorded sufficient priority by some owners and many local authorities to give confidence in the safety of the 1,800 or more large raised reservoirs covered by the 1930 Act.
The Government considered whether the implementation or scope of the 1930 Act could be improved to deal with the problem but concluded that the best course was to implement the 1975 Act. This will, in particular, confer duties on county councils in England and Wales—and on regional and islands councils in Scotland—these enforcement authorities will be required to keep registers of all large raised reservoirs and to demand from owners certification of actions taken. Owners will be required to carry out routine inspection and supervision, and any necessary remedial works, and to provide documentation confirming that these have been carried out to the enforcement authorities.
The Government intend to give priority to ensuring that all reservoirs are inspected as provided for in the Act and propose to phase its introduction so that an early contribution is made to reservoir safety and adequate data are available to local authorities to carry out their enforcement function. Although it is accepted that the commencement of a new administrative activity by county councils cannot be without cost, the amount will be small where reservoir owners comply with the Act's requirements and where appreciable enforcement action is unnecessary. Consultation on the timing and nature of the implementation, including the later implementation of the Act's provisions for routine supervision between the major inspections will now begin with various bodies concerned, such as local authorities, reservoir owners, water undertakings and the Institution of Civil Engineers.