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Justine Greening: I am extremely grateful for that clarification, because I looked into the matter, and my understanding is that under the Water Industry Act 1991, the uppermost limit was 10 m. My flats were above that level, and there was no statutory duty to supply to any level above 10 m. Perhaps the Minister will clarify that. If I am incorrect, I shall be delighted.
Mr. Morley: I acknowledge that this is a local, constituency issue and an important one for the hon. Lady. I will find out exactly what the regulations are on that point, and I will write to inform her.
On Thames Water, I want to make it clear that while it has met its target for this year, it has not met its overall target for leakages, and I do expect it to get on track in that regard.
I do not want to say very much more, because I think that I have addressed the main points made by the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs. I recognise that those points are important, but the water supply in the south-east is not in crisis, although neither we nor the companies can ignore the fact that reserves are very low. Of course, the companies have a duty to ensure that they match demand and resource management and to look ahead for future management.
Some companies are also considering desalination. A small desalination plant is working in the southern region. Thames Water has also been talking about a desalination plant for peak management in the London region.
Companies can apply for drought orders to minimise water loss and if they have to manage water by taking it away from non-essential users. No application for a drought order has been made at the moment. It may well be that, between now and the summer, we have a bit more rainfall. It may well be that we do not have a dry summer. As I say, we cannot be complacent about these issues, and we must look at the long-term weather patterns. We must take into account issues such as climate change.
Droughts are not new—droughts come and go—but we need to be careful about whether we are seeing long-term trends. If we are seeing them, we must ensure that adaptations are made for them. That involves planning for water resource management, tackling issues such as leaking pipes and considering the powers available to water companies and their responsibilities in ensuring that water supplies are reliable.
16 Mar 2006 : Column 1703
This country now has one of the highest standards of drinking water quality, internationally. My hon. Friend the Member for Crawley is quite right to say that people should not order bottled water in restaurants; they should order jugs of water. Not only is ours some of the best quality drinking water in the world, but it has not been dragged halfway around the country or sometimes across the continent in trucks to be sold in restaurants. So on grounds of sustainability, I would certainly encourage people to ask for jugs of water in restaurants, not for bottled water. In fact, perhaps we should do a bit more of that in the Committees of the House of Commons, rather using bottled water.
16 Mar 2006 : Column 1704
The hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs has raised some important and serious issues. I hope that I have reassured him that not only do we have measures in place to deal with drought and with future water demand, but we are working closely with the companies on their legal obligations to ensure the security of water supply, so that his constituents and those of my hon. Friend the Member for Crawley and the other hon. Members present tonight can be assured of a top-quality, reliable and continuous water supply.
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