Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure water companies assess the levels of lead in domestic drinking water supplies.

Water companies are required to risk assess drinking water supplies from source to tap. Where there is a risk of lead in the water exceeding 10mg/l, water companies will treat the water with orthophosphate which reduces lead leaching significantly. In 2023, only 0.35% of these breached the standard for lead. In these instances, water companies will provide public health advice to consumers impacted and, where necessary, will look to replace the pipework owned by them.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate has provided advice for consumers to better understand if they have lead pipe in their home and how to reduce the risk, for example by running water to remove standing water in the pipes before use (https://www.dwi.gov.uk/lead-in-drinking-water/). If consumers think there is a risk to their supply, they can request a lead test from their water company.