HC Deb 20 January 1997 vol 288 cc441-2W
Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the responses he has received into his consultation paper on competition in the water industry; and how many were in favour of extending competition into the domestic sector. [11049]

Mr. Clappison

A list of responses to the consultation paper "Water—Increasing Customer Choice" is in the Library. The paper invited comments on a number of measures to extend competition. These included giving domestic customers the right to make their own connections to the water main, on which there was general support. On common carriage arrangements, our proposals related to large users of water, and we did not invite comments on extending the proposals to the domestic sector.

Mrs. Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent by his Department and the regulator on consultancy advice on the feasibility of extending competition in the water industry. [11050]

Mr. Clappison

The Department and the Office of Water Services jointly funded a report on the hydraulic, network and quality issues raised by common carriage at a cost of £21,150.

Mrs. Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the results of his consultation exercise into extending competition in the water industry. [11051]

Mr. Clappison

My right hon. Friend hopes to make an announcement soon about how the Government intend to proceed.