§ Lord Bassam of Brightonasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to publish the response to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's Report on Sewage Treatment and Disposal, HC 266-I of Session 1997–98. [HL3173]
§ Lord WhittyWe have laid before the House the Government's formal response to the Second Report of the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee on Sewage Treatment and Disposal. Copies have been placed in both Libraries of the House.
Within days of taking office, we called a Water Summit to signal our intention to ensure a world-class, water efficient, environmentally sustainable water industry. We remain firmly committed to that goal. We welcomed the publication of the Select Committee's report as an important contribution to the debate.
Within our broad objective, the Government's response to the Select Committee will set out significant elements of our approach to the quality of the water environment. Our approach will strike a balance between the need for and value of environmental improvements by the water industry and the need to protect consumers from large increases in their water bills as a result of those improvements.