§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures were agreed at the Luxembourg European Environment Council meeting of 16 October; and what are the projected compliance costs to the United Kingdom. [17081]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 24 November 1997]: I informed the House of the outcome of the Environment Council in Luxembourg in October in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 19 November 1997, Official Report, column 199.
One measure was agreed at the Environment Council in October: the proposal for a revised Drinking Water Directive. The current best estimate for the total capital or non-recurring costs of this for the UK is in the range £2,200 to £3,500 million at current prices with the majority of expenditure over 15 years from adoption of the Directive. This estimate was provided to the House in this Department's Compliance Cost Assessment under cover of Explanatory Memorandum 7208/95 in September 1996. The costs of measures will continue to be covered in the Department's explanatory memorandum to Parliament.