§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to amend section 25 of the Public Health 83W Act 1936, relative to the case of householders wishing to undertake developments to their property in the vicincity of public sewers, so as to avoid an unfair discrimination between such householders and others who in identical circumstances are not required to enter a contractual indemnity with the water authority relative to any damage to property caused by the sewer in question.
§ Mr. Alec Jones:No. Such indemnity agreements are designed to ensure that where additional costs are incurred in maintaining, repairing or replacing sewers because they have been built over, those costs are borne by the property owner and not by the water authority's customers at large. Section 25(2) of the Act provides for recourse to the courts where there is a dispute.