§ Dr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has recently had discussions with the European Commissioner for Competition on the implications for European competition policy of water privatisation.
§ Mr. Ridley[holding answer 13 July 1989]: I have had no recent discussions with the Commissioner, Sir Leon Brittan, who issued a statement on 7 February saying that the Commission had not found anything in the Government's water privatisation proposals which would raise problems as far as Community law is concerned in the fields of competition or company capital structure.