Mr. R. C. Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish the letter dated 31 March from the hon. Member for Pudsey (Mr. Shaw) to the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen concerning water charges; and if he will clarify how the team of financial consultants which examined the Southern water authority's budget arrived at the figure of 18.4 per cent. rather than 12.6 per cent. for the proposed average increase in charges to the domestic consumer for the year 1981–82.
§ Mr. Giles ShawNo. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment made clear in his announcement on 2 March, the average increase in main charges, that is those charges relating to all main services and to all classes of consumer, for Southern water authority is 12.6 per cent. The figure of 18.4 per cent. mentioned by the hon. Member is the average increase in the combined water services bill for the domestic consumer.—[Vol. 1000, c. 52–53.]