§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps his Department is presently taking to ensure that the views of all employees of the various water companies are fully and adequately canvassed in regard to the proposal that the companies should be absorbed into the regional water authorities; and if he will publish the results of such inquiries;
(2) what steps his Department is presently taking to ensure that the views of all users, domestic and industrial, in areas served by the various water companies are fully and adequately canvassed in regard to the proposal that the companies should be absorbed into the regional water authorities; and if he will publish the results of such inquiries;
(3) what representations his Department has received concerning the proposal, contained in the recently published consultation document reviewing the 685W water industry, that the various water companies should be absorbed into the regional water authorities;
(4) what steps his Department is presently taking to ensure that the views of all those involved in the management of the various water companies are fully and adequately canvassed in regard to the proposal that the companies should be absorbed into regional water authorities; and if he will publish the results of such inquiries.
§ Mr. Denis HowellThe Consultation Paper on the Review of the Water Industry setting out the Government's intention of bringing the water companies into public ownership and inviting comments in particular on the method and timing of securing this was sent to a wide range of interested bodies, including the Water Companies Association, individual water companies, local authorities and trade unions. So far my Department has received in response only five formal comments on this issue. I will certainly make known at the appropriate time the weight of representations received on this as on other aspects of the consultation paper.