§ Mr. FavellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has reviewed the arrangements by which copies of reports produced by the Water Research Centre for his Department are placed in the Library; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BaldryIn an answer given to the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright) on 16 February 1984, an undertaking was given to place in the Library of the House copies of reports of studies commissioned by the Department from the Water Research Centre (WRC). The usefulness of this arrangement was to be reviewed.
A review rather later than envisaged discloses that there does not seen to be sufficient interest shown in the Water Research Centre's reports to warrant the continuation of this special arrangement. In addition the Water Research Centre has since become a private company and it would not be equitable for their reports to be treated differently from those of their competitors.
For these reasons, I propose to terminate this arrangement and I have today written to the hon. Member accordingly.