Mr. William O?BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the regional rate paid by ratepayers in Northern Ireland is charged for water services, including sewage disposal.
§ Mr. Mates[holding answer 11 January 1993]: Although the regional rate is based on expenditure by central Government in Northern Ireland on services which in Great Britain would be undertaken by local authorities, it is essentially a general charge and the proceeds are not allocated to the component services. However, since 1991–92 arrangements have been made to appropriate in aid of water services, including sewage disposal, the relevant share of regional rate income to facilitate transition to commercial accounting procedures. In 1992–93 the share of the regional rate appropriated in aid of these services is equivalent to poundage of 65.63 p.