§ Mr. GallieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what is his policy on contacts between officials of his Department and private sector firms and other bodies about water and sewerage services in Scotland before a decision on the future of these services is announced.
§ Mr. LangThe day-to-day work of my Department necessarily involves contact with a wide range of private sector firms and other bodies about aspects of water and sewerage provision. These contacts will continue. The future structure of the services is discussed in the consultation paper I issued on 17 November. The preparation of this document has required contact with a number of bodies and, now that it has been issued, consideration of the options it sets out will involve discussions and exchanges of views with a variety of interested parties, whether at the initiative of the Department or of those parties themselves. These contacts are likely to take a variety of forms. A list of those responding to the consultation paper will be available in due course in the usual way.