§ Mr. Roderickasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many extra staff are required by the Welsh National Water Development Authority for the purposes of direct billing; how many local authority staff these will replace; how much money the Welsh National Water Development Board estimates it will save by this method of payment; how much the local authorities will lose in agency fees.
§ Mr. Alec JonesI understand from the Welsh National Water Development Authority that it will need about 100 extra staff. The numbers of local authority staff replaced, if any, will vary from authority to authority. At present local authorities receive about £960,000 in agency fees. The Authority estimates that when the scheme is fully operational it will achieve an annual saving of about £800,000.