§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the levels of lead in drinking water.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 1989, as amended, require that drinking water at the point where the water is supplied contains no more than 50 microgrammes of lead per litre. This standard is more stringent than the requirements of the EC drinking water directive. In 1992 97 per cent. of determinations for lead in England and Wales measured in samples taken from consumers' taps contained less than this level. There is virtually no lead in water leaving the treatment works and most of that detected comes from contact with consumers' pipework.