§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the terms and conditions of members of local consumer advisory committees in Wales.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerThe Select Committee on Welsh Affairs recommended in its report "Establishment of Local Consumer Advisory Committees (HCP 335 Session 1981–82)" that the maximum period of continuous service for a member of a local consumer advisory committee in Wales should be six years. This was accepted by the Government when the committees were established in November 1982. However, following representations from the Welsh Water Authority, I have decided to utilise powers available to me under section 24A(6) and (7) of the 1973 Water Act to revoke this requirement—which I feel is an unnecessary restriction of Welsh local consumer advisory committees as compared to the consumer consultative committees in England.
In addition I have also agreed to an amendment to schedule 2, paragraphs 2 and 3, to describe more adequately the category of members intended to represent fishing interests and an amendment to paragraph 3 of the report to remove an anomaly which existed between that paragraph and paragraph 4 of schedule 2. This latter amendment will allow a representative other than the chairman of each of the water company consumer committees to be appointed to the Dee and Clwyd local consumer advisory committee. A copy of the report as modified has been placed in the Library of the House.