§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list each nitrate derogation which has been granted to each water company in England and Wales, giving the date when each derogation was issued and the expiry date;
(2) if he will list each centre of population which receives drinking water which is in breach of European Community nitrate limits.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryDerogations for nitrate which were granted in 1985 were withdrawn by the government in 1988. For those supplies which breach the EC and national standard for nitrate, or where there has been a past breach which is likely to recur, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has accepted an undertaking from the water company under section 20 of the Water Act 1989 to secure compliance with the standard. All supplies will comply by 1995 at the latest. Those supplies which do not meet the standard in the interim are not considered to endanger health. Copies of the undertakings by the water service companies are available in the Library.
I am arranging for copies of the undertakings my right hon. Friend has accepted from the statutory water companies to be placed in the Library.
Undertakings accepted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales are a matter for the Welsh Office.
§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment further to his reply of 19 July,Official Report, column 729, if he will give details and results of all surveys of groundwater contamination in Staffordshire undertaken by the National Rivers Authority.
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§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe National Rivers Authority has a network of 75 regularly measured groundwater quality monitoring points in Staffordshire. The network particularly covers the triassic sandstone aquifer which is a major source of public water supplies in the county. The data collected from the monitoring surveys is lodged on the public Water Act register which is held at the authority's Severn Trent region's office.