§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why it is that despite their "support for the Polluter Pays Principle" they intend that "the cost of treating and purifying water to render it fit for human consumption" should continue to be borne by water consumers (Official Report, 16th January, col. 99).
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Hesketh)As previous answers have made clear, where potentially polluting activities can be identified they are required to meet appropriate regulations and codes of practice and to bear the costs of doing so. This is the essence of the Polluter Pays Principle.
The cost of treating water to render it fit for human consumption may partly be attributable to pollution from indirect and diffuse sources, to activities carried out in the past, or to substances remaining even after regulations regarding direct discharges have been met. Strict application of the Polluter Pays Principle is not practicable in such circumstances. It remains the case that the cost of such further treatment is borne by the water undertakings concerned and hence by its customers.