§ Mr. FabricantTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what measures his Department is planning to take to ensure that lavatory cisterns in the United Kingdom continue to be fitted only with flushing apparatus which prevents the waste of water;
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the. increase in the amount of water wasted annually in the United Kingdom of lifting existing byelaw requirements for water waste prevention in lavatory cisterns; and what would be the effect of such an increase on the price of water to consumers.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe Government are committed to promoting the efficient use of water. In preparing measures to replace the current water byelaws in England and Wales we will also need to have regard to the requirements of the European Union's single market legislation and to European product standards. My Department has recently invited tenders for a research project on water economy, which includes an evaluation of various flushing devices such as those commonly used in mainland Europe.