§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the estimated level of water rates in (a) the West Midlands county and (b) the London and Thames Valley region, in each of the next three years.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe level of charges will not be known until the water authorities concerned finalise their budgets for the years in question. However, as the Government intend to set higher financial targets for all116W water authorities over this period it is to be expected that charges increases will be above the general rate of inflation.