§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many homes in each UK region have water budget payment units; and if he will make a statement. [59913]
§ Mr. MealeThe Government welcomed the High Court ruling earlier this year that budget payment units with a closure valve which could cut off the flow of water were unlawful. The fifteen water undertakers in England and Wales who had previously installed budget payment units are complying with the court ruling by removing either the closure valves or the complete units. The information in the table, collected by the Office of Water Services for each company's area, shows the progress made as at 30 September 1998 and the number of units remaining to be dealt with. Information on the use of budget payment units is not available by region.
The Office of Water Services is pressing companies to act rapidly and is monitoring each company's progress in complying with the court ruling. The bulk of the units still with a closure valve are in Wales and OFWAT has told Welsh Water that it must comply or enforcement action will be taken.