§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the report on drinking water quality in Scotland in 1991; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Hector MonroA report has been published today by the Scottish Office Environment Department which gives an overview of drinking water quality in Scotland in 1991, under the Water (Scotland) Act 1980 and associated regulations. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library.
The report shows that drinking water quality in 1991 has improved since 1990 as a result of the action taken by authorities to deal with water quality problems. In 1991, 98 per cent. of all regulatory determinands met the prescribed standards compared with 97 per cent. in 1990. Reported data also showed that for 48 out of 55 numerical standards, 99.8 per cent. of analytical results complied compared with 99.6 per cent. in 1990.
The failures to meet quality standards fully did not represent a risk to public health.