§ 41. Mr. Beithasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what effect he anticipates that cuts in the water authority programmes will have on the concrete pipe industry; and whether he has any plans to mitigate the effect of these cuts on employment in this industry.
§ Mr. FoxThe reductions in this year's water authority construction programmes will reduce their expenditure to a level relatively little below that of 1978–79. The effect on the level of new orders to the concrete pipe industry should be small but detailed application of the cuts will be for the water authorities to decide. I cannot quantify the Budget effects on private sector activity that will mitigate the cuts.