To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many European Community directives are the subject of legal action by the Commission against the United Kingdom; when each directive, respectively, entered into force; and what is the stated reason in each case for action taken by the Commission.

There are currently three cases brought by the Commission before the European Court of Justice involving alleged failure of the United Kingdom to implement EC directives correctly. The directives are:

—the Equal Treatment Directive (76/207), due for implementation on 12 August 1978;

—the Drinking Water Directive (80/778), due for implementation on 18 July 1982;

—the Bathing Water Directive (76/160), due for implementation on 31 December 1977.