Clause 39 - Emergency supply by water undertaker
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
10:30 am
Mr Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
Clause 39 provides that, while carrying out the request of a fire and rescue authority to provide a supply of water at requisite volume and pressure, the water undertaker will not be liable for action by any other party who, for example, finds that his water pressure has dropped. As anyone who has had their water pressure drop will know, there can be some unpleasant side effects of the water supply drying up. It can take a while for a potable supply of water to be resumed, because all the muck on the inside of the pipes ends up coming out of the taps. However, in the circumstances of a major fire event, it is right that the requirements of firefighting should take precedence.
Although I understand the provision that there should be no liability to third parties, would it still be a requirement on the statutory undertaker to make an emergency supply of water available if the supply was shut off for firefighting reasons, as happens when the supply is shut off for any other reason for any length of time? Standpipes clearly would not work if the supply had been shut off, so we would be talking about an obligation on water authorities to provide water by tanker to affected households. A major fire could occur, and water might have to be diverted over a whole night or longer. Can the Minister reassure us that although the water undertaker could not have action taken against him for failure to deliver a water supply in accordance with his normal statutory duty, he would still be required to make alternative emergency provision for the households affected?