§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will implement the suggestion by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in its report on the Severn-Trent water authority that there should be a separate investigation into responsibility for non-main rivers.
§ Mrs. FennerIn its report on the Severn-Trent water authority, the Monopolies and Mergers Commission recognised that the question of a change in the arrangements for dealing with non-main rivers would have wide statutory and financial implications. In view of the reductions in manpower which my Department is trying to achieve, I am not at present satisfied that the use of resources to carry out this wide-ranging review could be justified.