To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what statutory or other requirements have been made by Her Majesty's Government to require water companies to have available a given number of mobile fresh water tanks, wheeled or otherwise, related to the numbers of population served; and what national arrangement it has made for supplying of such equipment in emergencies. [37281]
Water companies have a duty under the Security Measures (Water and Sewerage Undertakers) Direction 1989 to have plans in place to ensure the provision of essential water supplies at all times. The direction also requires that the water companies shall provide such facilities, including works, plant and equipment, as will secure the implementation of these plans, which should be mutually complimentary and co-ordinated between the companies.