§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, further to his reply of 2 May,Official Report, column 52, to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Provan, compliance with the European Community directive on water standards will be achieved within the timing given by the European Community.
§ Mr. HowardWe are fully committed to compliance with the EC drinking water directive as soon as practicable. However, water undertakers have recently submitted improvement programmes for supplies which occasionally fail to comply in all respects with the directive. These programmes are being assessed and it is not therefore possible at present to state how long it will take to comply fully with the directive. In due course t he programmes will be presented to the European Commission.