§ 28. Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for the debt incurred on and management of Kielder water in relation to privatisation of the Northumbrian water authority.
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§ Mr. MoynihanThe National Rivers Authority will enter into an agreement with Northumbrian water authority's successor company to deal with the operation of Kielder as a water resource asset. Under the terms of clause 83 of the Water Bill, there will be a general debt restructuring of all water authorities prior to flotation.
§ 51. Mr. FrenchTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the proposed safeguards for consumers contained in the proposals for the privatisation of the water industry.
§ Mr. HowardAfter privatisation our comprehensive new charter for customers would for the first time give consumers rights on the quality of water they drink, the charges they pay, and the standard of service they receive. As part of this I am pleased to announce that public consultation today begins on the draft regulations for the guaranteed standards scheme. This is a no nonsense, no quibble scheme providing a spur to management to ensure the best commercial practices. Domestic customers will be automatically entitled to a payment or credit of £5 for every day, or each occasion, on which a breach of one of the standards of service occurs. This will avoid the frustration customers at present experience because they cannot obtain any compensation in such cases.
The scheme covers:
—delays beyond the period notified by the company for restoring water supplies following a planned interruption of supply;—delays of more than 24 hours in restoring water supply following an unplanned interruption which has been notified to the company (72 hours in the case of a burst strategic main);—appointments which are not kept on the day specified by the company to the customer;—failure to provide a substantive answer to written enquiries about bills, or requests for alternative methods of payment within 20 and 10 working days respectively; —failure to answer written complaints about water supply or sewerage services by providing an answer within 10 working days, and a substantive answer within 20 working days if the matter requires a site inspection or further investigations.I will place copies of the draft regulations of the guaranteed standards scheme in the House Library along with copies of the Government's leaflet "Customer Standards and Consumer Rights".