§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the failure of the present system of charging domestic consumers for water to reflect the amount actually used, as in the case of gas and electricity, he will invite water companies to carry out experiments designed to establish the cheapest possible method of installing meters.
§ Mr. Giles ShawI am aware that the Water Companies Association takes the view that water meters should be located at the site boundary to avoid difficulties over leakages. Advice from the National Water Council is that water authorities should as far as practicable take advantage of the cost savings obtainable from placing meters inside dwellings. I hope that all water authorities and companies will follow this advice and that they will do as much as possible to keep the costs of metering down to the minimum. The Water Research Council, on behalf of the water industry, is collaborating with other public utilities in the examination of methods of remote reading using new technology, and will advise the industry on progress.