§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information he has on how many hours per week and days per year water authority chairmen and executives have worked on average, for each of the last 10 years;
(2) what information he has on how many hours per week and days per year on average the chairmen have worked in each water authority in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. MoynihanAll executive members of regional water authorities hold full-time appointments. The basis on which chairmen have held office over the last 10 years, as a percentage of full time, is as follows:
- Anglian–1979–80: 70 per cent., 1983–88:1 80 per cent.
- Northumbrian–1979–88: 50 per cent.
- North West–1979–88: 80 per cent.
- Severn Trent–1979–88: 80 per cent.
- Southern–1979–84: 70 per cent., 1985–88: 80 per cent.
- South West — 1979–80: 50 per cent., 1981–86: 70 per cent., 1987–88:2 100 per cent.
- Thames-1979–88: 80 per cent.
- Wessex-1979–82: 50 per cent., 1983–84: 70 per cent., 1983–84: 80 per cent.
- Yorkshire–1979–84: 70 per cent., 1985–88: 90 per cent.
- 1Between June 1986 and March 1987, 100 per cent.
- 2 Since 1987 also acts as chief executive.
§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many hours per week a water authority(a) employee, (b) chairman and (c) executive must work to be classified as part-time.
§ Mr. MoynihanWater authority board appointments are considered to be part-time when the duties can be discharged satisfactorily for a normal input of less than an average working week. The terms of appointment by water authorities are a matter for the authorities themselves.