§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the meetings of the proposed authorities will be in public and their guidelines about the need for openness and accountability will be the same as for local authorities.
§ Sir Hector MonroThe new water and sewerage authorities will not be part of local government. It would, therefore, be inappropriate for them to be required to follow guidelines produced for local authorities. It will be for the new authorities themselves to decide whether any of their meetings should be open to the public. The new authorities will be under a statutory obligation to have regard to the interests of every person who is a customer or potential customer and the customers council will be established to represent the interests of customers and potential customers to the new authorities.