§ Mr. Orbachasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in the light of the hardship which may be caused to retirement pensioners as the result of the increased charges under water rates, whether he will take steps to enable increased water rates to be subject to the same concessions obtained through the rate rebate system through the local authority.
§ Mr. Marks, pursuant to his reply [Official Report. 17th April 1978], gave the following answer:
The rate rebate scheme is designed to help people who have difficulty paying the rates levied by local authorities. Water services charges are charges in the same sense as those levied by other public utilities, and thus are quite separate. They have not been eligible for rate rebate since the implementation of the Water Act 1973. Water services charges are, of course, taken into account in the calculation of supplementary benefits.