HC Deb 03 July 2002 vol 388 c361W
Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by the Government since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to(a) set goals on environmental protection and (b) improve eco-efficiency and resource productivity relating to sanitation issues; and what these (i) goals and (ii) improvements have been. [44365]

Mr. Meacher

The Government has set goals and secured improvements in the protection of the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources for both water supply and waste water disposal, both through international and European agreement and domestic regulatory requirements since 1992.

The measures under which this has been done include:

  1. (i) the Drinking Water Directive, which sets minimum standards for the wholesomeness of drinking water supplies; this has been transposed into national legislation by the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 which include some additional national standards;
  2. (ii) The Environment Agency has published "Water Resources for the Future", which plans reductions in existing abstractions in England and wales of water totalling some 700MI/day to reduce unsustainable abstraction by 2010;
  3. (iii) the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994 set standards and deadlines for the treatment of sewage; I announced in March 1999 a further goal that all significant sewage discharges in England and Wales should receive at least secondary treatment by 2005; and
  4. (iv) the Bathing Water Directive, under which a goal has been set for English beaches to achieve at least 97 per cent. compliance with the Directive's main mandatory standards by 2005.

Among the improvements achieved are:

  1. (i) the level of compliance with standards in public drinking water supplies rose from 98.65 per cent. in 1992 to 99.83 per cent. in 2000;
  2. (ii) in England, between 1990 and 2000, there has been a 10 per cent. increase in river lengths classified as good or fair chemical quality and an 8 per cent. increase in rivers of good or fair biological quality;
  3. (iii) secondary treatment is now provided at 99 per cent. of sewage treatment works in England which serve population greater than 15,000; and
  4. (iv) compliance with the Bathing Water Directive's main mandatory standards for beaches increased from 79 per cent. in 1992 to 98 per cent. in 2001.

Summary forward programmes of the measures required of water and sewerage companies to meet environmental and resource use goals in their operations and investment are set out once every five years in Ministers' guidance on the programmes of quality improvements for Ofwat's periodic review of water price limits. The guidance for the period 2000–05 was published in "Raising the Quality" in 1998.