Sewerage Network (Hansard, 19 January 1999)

§ Mr. Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much of the public and private sewerage network is currently subject to(a) infiltration and (b) exfiltration. [65885]

§ Mr. Meale
The Department does not collect this information. Under section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, sewerage undertakers are responsible for the effectual drainage of their areas and for maintaining their pipework. From meetings held with the water and sewerage industry last year, there appears to be no evidence that exfiltration or infiltration in public sewers is causing any major problems. I understand that Water UK will be carrying out research in this area later this year.

§ Mr. Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the necessary change in investment in the sewerage system following the inclusion of the condition of sewerage assets in the new sustainable development indicators. [65886]

§ Mr. Meale
Levels of investment in the public sewerage system are a matter for sewerage undertakers and the Director General of Water Services. In "Raising the Quality" (September 1998), we published guidance to the Director General of Water Services which covered sewer maintenance as well as investment in new assets. The Director General subsequently published his own forward look at the necessary investment programmes of water companies and their price implications in "Prospects for Prices" (October 1998).

§ Mr. Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the water companies OFWAT has penalised for failing to meet their targets on flooding from sewers and collapses(a) between 1990 and 1995 and (b) from 1995 to date. [65887]

§ Mr. Meale
Companies' performance is reported each year in the Director General of Water Services' annual Report on Levels of Service. The 1997–98 Report shows that the proportion of properties at risk from sewer flooding more than twice in every ten years has fallen substantially from 0.13 per cent. in 1990–91 to 0.06 per cent. in 1997–98.
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The annual Report also explains regulatory action taken in respect of companies about whose performance the Director has concerns. Where the Director has concerns over levels of sewer flooding, he requires the company to take remedial action. The Director does not currently have powers to impose fines, but has indicated his intention to take sewer flooding and other aspects of companies' past performance into account when setting price limits.
Sewer flooding that affects customers' properties is penalised by compensation available to customers in the Guaranteed Standards Scheme. In 1997–98, payments of up to a maximum of £1,000 were made to 4,367 customers who made claims.
There are no targets for sewer collapses but they are taken into account when OFWAT assesses the serviceability to customers of the companies assets. Serviceability is in turn taken into account when the Director sets companies' price limits.