§ Mr. CartwrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to ensure that European requirements concerning lead levels in water are complied with.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Scottish water authorities have already made substantial progress in reducing the levels of lead in their supplies.
The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990, made on 23 January, impose standards relating to the quality of public and private water supplies for the purposes of drinking, washing or cooking. The standard on lead is tighter than that in EC Directive 80/778/EEC (the drinking water directive), and regulation 24 makes provision for securing the elimination, or reduction to a minimum, of the risk that water supplied by the authorities will be contaminated after supply by excessive concentrations of lead and certain other metals.
In addition, districts and islands councils have discretion to give housing repair grants for the replacement of lead plumbing. From 1982–88 inclusive,
726W
Date Council Minister 29 January 1980 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 16 June 1980 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 21 July 1980 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 29 September 1980 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 28 October 1980 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 17–18 November 1980 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 15–17 December 1980 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 27 January 1981 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 9–11 February 1981 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 10–11 March 1981 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 27 March 1981 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 29 September 1981 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 27 October 1981 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 15 June 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 28–29 June 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 20–21 July 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 4 October 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 25–26 October 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 8 November 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 29 November 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 21 December 1982 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 25 January 1983 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 20 June 1983 Fisheries Council Right hon. George Younger, TD MP, Secretary of State for Scotland 30 June–1 July 1983 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 25–26 July 1983 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 3–4 October 1983 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 10–12 October 1983 Special Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 19 October 1983 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 14 December 1983 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 31 January 1984 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 24–25 May 1984 Fisheries Council Mr. John Mackay MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 10 September 1984 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 4 December 1984 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 19 December 1984 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 6 May 1985 Informal Meeting of Education Ministers Mr. Allan Stewart MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 27 September 1985 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 4 November 1985 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 16–17 December 1985 Fisheries Council Lord Gray of Contin, Minister of State 22–23 September 1986 Fisheries Council Mr. John Mackay MP 5 November 1986 Fisheries Council Mr. John Mackay MP 3–4 December 1986 Fisheries Council Mr. John Mackay MP 17–18 December 1986 Fisheries Council Mr. John Mackay MP some 58,000 grants for work which included the replacement of lead plumbing had been made by these councils.