§ Mr. Fatchettasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a copy of the Yorkshire water authority's report on the Leeds water emergency inquiry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John Patten[pursuant to his reply 6 March 1986, c. 279]: I have received a copy of the report by the committee of inquiry on the Leeds water emergency of last December, which was published on 27 February 1986. The board of the Yorkshire water authority met on that day to consider the report and agreed an eleven-point action 289W programme in accordance with the report's recommendations. I welcome the comprehensive and frank nature of the report which commends the way the burst main was repaired and the measures taken by the authority, with assistance from others, to minimise loss of water supplies to consumers, but reveals shortcomings in maintenance and in emergency procedures. The chairman of the Yorkshire water authority has assured me that the lessons emerging from this incident will be fully learnt and applied.