§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what approach he has had from the Cooperative Union regarding the Water Act 1983 and representation of the consumer interest; what reply he is sending; if there is any action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Co-operative Union Ltd has commented on the water authorities proposals for representing industrial consumers interests and my officials have replied. The guidelines for water authorities on consumer representation which my right hon. Friend issued last October, after consulting a wide range of organisations, including the union, did not specify how industrial, trading and commercial representatives should be selected. We do not propose to change the guidelines in this respect.