§ Mr. Boyesasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on a national water grid; and what action his Department is taking towards the creation of such a grid.
§ Mr. John Patten[pursuant to his reply, 23 January 1987]: Water sources and supply areas are linked by pipelines to form integrated systems in some regions and a few inter-regional transfer schemes exist, in cases where they are the most economic way of meeting demands. Advantage can usually be taken, however, of the proximity of sources to areas of demand in regional development, leading to economy and efficiency. By comparison, the cost of building and operating a complete national water grid would be excessive because water is bulky and heavy to transport.