§ 57. Mr. KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has made a recent assessment of the safety of drinking water.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe quality of drinking water from public supplies in England and Wales is generally of a high quality. Most supplies already comply with the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 which incorporate the standards of the EC drinking water directive. Programmes are under way to improve as quickly as practicable those supplies which do not yet comply.
The drinking water inspectorate has commenced inspection of the water companies and will report to my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Wales in 1991 upon the quality of drinking water supplied during the current calendar year.
§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the levels at which lead in drinking water is officially regarded as safe.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryAny exposure to lead should be considered potentially harmful. The Commitee on the Medical Aspects of the Contamination of Air, Soil and Water, an independent committee which advises the chief medical officer, reviewed the position in November 1988. Its conclusions are reproduced in annex 1 of "Guidance on Safeguarding the Quality of Public Water Supplies", which is in the Library. In accordance with the committee's recommendation a standard of 50 micrograms/litre is incorporated in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989, and applies to any sample rather than to the average level. This is more rigorous than the standard in the EC drinking water directive.
§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps his Department is taking to reduce the danger of lead in drinking water.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryMuch has already been done to reduce lead levels in those parts of the country where there was a particular problem.
As well as setting a standard of 50 micrograms/litre for lead in any sample of drinking water, the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989 require water companies to carry out additional treatment of drinking water in certain circumstances where, in the company's opinion, this will eliminate, or reduce to a minimum, the risk that the lead level in the water will rise to more than 50 micrograms/litre after leaving the company's pipes; and, where there is such a risk, to co-operate with the owner of the premises in removing its part of any lead pipe which connects directly to a tap using drinking water. Water companies have given undertakings to the Secretary of State to identify by specified dates supply zones where additional treatment may be appropriate, and to install such treatment by specified dates.
The water byelaws prohibit the installation of any pipe or other water fitting made of lead and the use, in the construction or installation of any pipe or water fitting, of 356W any material or substance which is likely to cause contamination of water. We are considering whether any further steps should be taken to increase the effectiveness of the byelaws in this respect.
§ 88. Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the presence of pesticides in drinking water.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe trace amounts of pesticide found in a small proportion of United Kingdom drinking water supplies are not regarded by the Government's medical advisers as posing a danger to health. Under the water quality regulations water companies are required to carry out regular monitoring for pesticides residues and, where appropriate, to develop the technology for their removal and to investigate with the National Rivers Authority the case for restricting their use within water catchment areas.