HC Deb 18 April 1988 vol 131 cc306-8W
Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all those waters which fall within the scope of article 1(2)(a) of directive 76/160/EEC and which do not meet the standards set by the directive.

Mr. Moynihan

[holding answer 15 April 1988]: My hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Patten) announced the results of the 1986 survey of bathing water quality on 30 April 1987, Official Report, column 186. The results of the 1987 survey are being collated.

Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list, by region, the number of cases concerning excesses of industrial solvents in drinking water from 1979 to the latest available date.

Mr. Moynihan

[holding answer 15 April 1988]: This information is not available.

Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the capital investment programme of each water authority in England and Wales to meet the requirements of the EEC directive on the quality of drinking and bathing water.

Mr. Moynihan

[holding answer 15 April 1988]: We are at present discussing these programmes with water authorities as part of the corporate planning round.

Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects all Britain's bathing beaches to comply fully with the EEC water quality directive.

Mr. Moynihan

[holding answer 15 April 1988]: The majority of bathing waters in the United Kingdom already meet the standards set out in the directive.

Water undertakings are currently spending some £70 million per year on improvement programmes designed to bring all remaining identified bathing waters up to the directive's standards. The Government will shortly be reviewing progress and timetables with the water undertakings in the light of the 1987 survey of bathing waters.

Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each water authority the number of derogations sought and received from 1979 to the latest available date due to excessive levels of lead in drinking water.

Mr. Moynihan

[holding answer 15 April 1988]: No derogations have been given for lead under article 9 of the EC drinking water directive. An application was made to the European Commission under article 20 of the directive in 1985 for a five year delay in implementation of the lead parameter in certain areas of the United Kingdom while action was taken in accordance with an agreed programme to reduce lead levels. This programme has been very successful and is now nearing completion in England. At the end of 1987, the number of water supply zones where treatment measures were being or were to be installed had been reduced to 30. These are listed by water authority area :

Water authority Water supply zones
Anglian 8
Northumbrian 1
North West 16
Yorkshire 5

Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will update the figures given in theOfficial Report on 24 April 1986, column 235, regarding the anticipated costs of bringing (a) nitrate levels and (b) lead levels in drinking water to those stipulated in EEC directives.

Mr. Moynihan

[holding answer 15 April 1988]: The Department is currently seeking an update of the nitrate costs from water undertakers. The costs for new water treatment measures to reduce lead levels are about £500,000 for capital and about £500,000 annual running costs. The cost of replacing lead pipes in properties has not changed significantly, although the number of properties requiring such replacements will have decreased since the numbers were last estimated.