§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the forthcoming changes in water abstraction charges.
§ Mr. MacleanI have recently approved the National Rivers Authority's new national abstraction charging scheme for 1993–94.
The adoption of the new scheme does not affect the amount to be raised within each region. The national 269W average increase in bills is some 1.7 per cent., but the increase varies between regions according to the need for spending on water resource management and movements in balances.