A ROW is looming between Holyrood and environmental campaigners over MSPs' decision to invite tenders for the £1.4m, four-year contract to supply their water.
Campaigners are outraged that the Scottish Government's method of reducing the huge amount of bottled water consumed in its offices each year is to install an expensive filtering and cooling system which will chill water from the mains. This, it is h
oped, will tempt staff to drink it rather than take it from bottles.
Green MSP Robin Harper said: "We've long been pressing the Scottish Government to get rid of bottled water altogether, but I cannot believe that their answer is to waste this much money filtering tap water a second time.
"This is an illogical and bizarre decision, and I'm utterly dismayed that ministers have decided to send out the message that Scotland's tap water isn't good enough."
The successful supplier will install and service the systems. The water will be served in jugs at meetings instead of bottles.
Where such systems cannot be put in, the company will install and service drinking fountains supplied by large tanks of water.
The contract will apply to all Scottish Government buildings, the Scotland Office, the Scottish Parliament, and all the Government agencies and quangos north of the border.
At present, the Scottish Government alone uses about £62,000 of bottled water a year at its five main buildings in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and buys about 53,000 half-litre bottles a year for meetings and functions.
Ministers and planners hope that, as the system is installed throughout Scotland, the demand for bottled water will decrease.
Ministers in Government departments south of the border have already announced plans to do away with bottled water in an effort to make their administrations and departments greener.
A spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government is committed to being as environmentally responsible as possible, as well as providing value for money. The replacement of bottled, still water with chilled water via the mains system will help us achieve that.
"The filtration element is an integral part of the chilling system. As the use of chilled water from the mains system is rolled out across the building we expect to see a significant reduction in the number of bottles required. This change will also mean a reduction in motor mileage as our contractor will consequently make fewer journeys for the collection and delivery of bottled water."
