§ Lord O'HAGANasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Member States of the EEC add fluoride to the public water supply; how far fluoridation is (a) compulsory and (b) universal in each Member State; and how far British officials responsible for this question have consulted their counterparts in each Member State.
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNETwo Member States, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, at present add fluoride to the water supply to reduce the prevalence of dental decay. Fluoridation is compulsory in the Republic of Ireland where, I understand, most of the population served by piped water supplies now receives fluoridated water. British officials concerned with fluoridation have consulted, as necessary, officials in other EEC Member States, but the Community has not, as yet, made a concerted approach to this issue. Professional contacts are regularly maintained through the European Regional Committee of the World Health Organisation.