§ 30. Mr. Thomas GrahamTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which Scottish water suppliers will not be able to comply with the deadline set by the EEC to bring water supplies up to EEC directives; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonDrinking water supplies which do not comply with the EC standards are the subject of improvement programmes submitted to the European Commission. The Commission does not normally set deadlines and has not expressed dissatisfaction with the programmes submitted, but has asked for those for reducing lead in tap water to be completed by the end of 1989. Only a small number of areas in Lothian and Strathclyde regions will not comply with that date.
Additional capital provisions have already been made and the allocations for water and sewerage have been increased by 14 per cent. for 1989–90. This should enable water authorities to make faster progress on bringing drinking water supplies up to the EC standards.