§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the Government's response to consultation on proposals to reform the system of gas and electricity regulation, and on his plans to assess the regulatory, environmental and equal treatment impact of the proposed Utilities Bill as a whole. [95429]
§ Mrs. LiddellIn October last year, the Government published a consultation paper on their proposals for reforming the system of gas and electricity regulation. After considering the responses, I have published a document which sets out the Government's proposals on the issues raised ("The Future of Gas and Electricity Regulation: The Government's Proposals for Legislation", DTI, 13 October 1999, ref. URN 99/1049). These proposals will form part of the Utilities Bill which the Government intend to introduce when parliamentary time permits.
My Department has also published draft regulatory impact, environmental and equal treatment appraisals of the provisions to be sought in the Utilities Bill, requesting comments by 15 November.
Copies of the documents have been placed in the Library of the House, as has a list of the names of those who responded to the consultation document and who 613W were content for their names and views to be made public. The responses themselves, with the exception of those from parties who made a request for confidentiality, have been placed in the library of the Department of Trade and Industry, where they are available for inspection.