§ Mr. Les Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will give further details of the savings he expects to accrue to water ratepayers consequent upon the changes in water administration he announced in his statement of 7 July.
§ Mr. Giles ShawWater authorities with a smaller membership can be run more efficiently. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission was told by the Severn-Trent water authority that there would be savings of £650,000 from changes similar to the Government's proposals in that authority alone. Over all the authorities the figure will be higher. Dissolving the National Water Council and the Water Space Amenity Commission will result in manpower and cost savings. The precise amount will depend on the arrangements for continuing certain of the council's functions, on which we are consulting the water industry and others, but the cost to the water consumer of the NWC in 1980–81—the latest year for which figures are available—was about £6.4 million and that of WSAC was£113,000.