§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the leakage levels from the Scottish water distribution system.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe level of leakage was estimated in 1984 to be around 40 per cent. of the total water put into supply for Scotland as a whole, but there were substantial regional variations. It is not practicable to eliminate leakage entirely and depending on local circumstances there will be a level which is acceptable in economic terms.
Guidance on leakage is given in standing technical committee report No. 26, "Leakage Control Policy and Practice", published by the Department of the Environment and the National Water Council in 1980, but policies are determined locally by the water authorities. A report on public water resources by the Scottish Development Department in 1985 proposed that authorities should aim to reduce leakage by a quarter over a period of 10 years. Progress towards this aim depends on the priority authorities give to the task.