HC Deb 08 March 1983 vol 38 c358W
Mr. Beith

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether any of the £5 million special grant he has made to the Northumbrian water authority is intended to defray water rates paid by customers supplied by the Newcastle and Gateshead water company.

Mr. Giles Shaw

No. The repayable grant which has been offered, subject to parliamentary approval, is a temporary measure given specifically to the Northumbrian water authority to ease the impact on its charges of the decline in industrial water demand on Teeside at a time when the financing costs of major capital works including Kielder are high.