G/TBT/N/GBR/55  
15 February 2023  
(23-1080) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED KINGDOM  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
UK TBT Enquiry Point  
Trade Policy Group  
Department for International Trade  
Old Admiralty Building  
London  
SW1A 2DY  
TBTEnquiriesUK@trade.gov.uk  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X ], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], 3.2 [  ], 7.2 [  ], 
other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Products 
related to Water Closet (WC) Suites:  
• Water Closet suites (flushing cisterns and pans etc.);  
• Components for Water Closet Suites (inlet valves, flushing devices, cisterns etc.);  
• Backflow prevention arrangements and devices for water systems.  
HS Code:  
Plastics: tubes, pipes, fittings etc. (HS 39 17); Plastics: lavatory pans, flushing cisterns 
etc. (HS 3922.90); Ceramic Products: water closet pans, flushing cisterns etc. (HS 
6910.10; HS 6910.90); Iron or steel products: sanitary ware (HS 7324.29; HS 7324.90); 
Copper: tubes and fittings (HS 7403; HS  7411; HS 7412).  
ICS Code:  
Sanitary installations (ICS 91.140.70); Water supply systems (ICS 91.140.60); Fluid 
systems (ICS 23.040).  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   
Amended Regulator Specifications made under Water Sup ply (Water Fittings) Regulations 
1999 (106 pages in English).  G/TBT/N/GBR/55  
 
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  For clarity this notification is regarding the amendment of Regulator Specifications under 
the (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 rather than the Regulations themselves.; (106 
page(s), in English ) 
6. Description of content:   
These measures result from the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 ('the 
Regulations'), as they apply in England and Wales, and regulate how water systems are 
designed, installed and operated. The Regulations require water fittings to be an 
appropriate quality and standard and suitable for the circumstances in which they are 
used. To meet these requirements, Regulator Specifications can be approved to provide 
detailed performance characteristics to ensure, amongst other things, that a fitting will 
not cause contamination of the water supply thereby protecting human health.  
These measures amend the Regulator Specifications that relate to: the design and 
performance of Water Closet suites and their com ponents; backflow prevention 
arrangements and their classifications; and, relevant testing requirements.  
The amendments, to prevent water from a Water Closet cistern backflowing into a clean 
drinking water supply, will: introduce a new backflow prevention arrangement for Water 
Closets; and, apply appropriate testing requirements.  
Regulator Specifications are relevant to the compliance of certain water fittings in 
Scotland with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) (Scotland) Byelaws 2014 and in Northern 
Ireland  with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:   
Water Closet cisterns are not designed to store water of drinking water quality. 
Deterioration due to stagnation of water and/or presence of chemicals (introduced by 
consumers into the cistern) could have potential health risks. The changes are required 
to increase safety and protect human health from the risk of drinking water becomin g 
contaminated from the backflow of such water.; Protection of human health or safety  
8. Relevant documents:   
Accompanying this notification is the amended Regulator Specifications made under the 
Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (106 pages in English).  
A consultation on the proposed changes was published on 8 August 2022 on the UK 
government's website. The consultation was open to all operators in the market, 
regardless of origin - https://consult.defra.gov.uk/drinking -water -quality/wc -suite-
performance -specifications/ . 
The consultation documents published were:  
• Annex A: Regulator Specifications and Test Code Sheets , 
• Annex B Consultation questions . 
The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999:  
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/1148/contents  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  July 2023  
Proposed date of entry into force:  12 months after adoption  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from notification  G/TBT/N/GBR/55  
 
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  11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
UK TBT Enquiry Point  
Trade Policy Group  
Department for International Trade  
Old Admiralty Building  
London  
SW1A 2 DY 
TBTEnquiriesUK@trade.gov.uk  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/TBT/GBR/23_1093_00_e.pdf