§ 27. Mr. Farrasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the area of land presently owned by regional water authorities; and how this compares with the figure for 1 April 1974.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe following are the best available figures for the seven authorities which were able to provide information in time for this answer. The 1974 figures are in all cases very approximate. The more recent figures are better substantiated but still include some approximation.
Authority 1974 acres 1982 acres Anglian 31,200* 30,000 Northumbrian 15,000* 14,895 North West 150,000* 150,000 Severn-Trent 60,200 59,900 Southern 8,700* 9,000 Wessex 8,540 8,423 Yorkshire 76,000* 75,500 349,640 347,718 * Estimate. I shall write to my hon. Friend when we have information from the South West and Thames water authorities.