§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many self-financing regulatory authorities his Department has set up since 1979; what was the annual running cost of each of the self-financing regulatory682W authorities in each of the last three years; what is the current staffing establishment; and what it was last year and two years ago.
§ Mr. BaldryOnly one relevant authority has been set up since 1979. The Office of Water Services—OFWAT—was established in 1989 by the Water Act.
The figures for its running costs over the last three financial years are:
£ million 1991–92 5.7 1992–93 6.1 1993–94 18.2 1 Estimate. Staff figures for those years are respectively—
Number 1991–92 116 1992–93 131 1993–94 153