§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the water regulator; [23696]
(2) if he will take steps to strengthen the regulatory powers of OFWAT. [23698]
§ Mr. MeacherMy overall assessment of OFWAT is that they do a good job within the existing framework of regulation. The Government are currently undertaking a review of the regulation of the utility industries with the objective of setting a long-term stable framework for utility regulation which is seen as fair by all the interest groups involved, particularly by consumers. Among other issues, the review has been considering whether any546W legislative changes are required to meet this objective. Our proposals will be published in a Green Paper in due course.