§ Mr. Mappasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that increases in water charges are justifiable under the Prices and Incomes Policy.
§ Mr. GreenwoodI am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a recent circular to water undertakers emphasising the relevance of the productivity, prices and incomes policy to water rates and charges; telling them that they should consider increases only when other possibilities of closing the gap between income and expenditure have been exhausted; and urging the need for them to give consumers a full explanation in simple and specific terms of the reasons for any increases which are unavoidable.
A copy of the circular has been placed in the Library.