Clause 38 - Consumer Council for Water
Water Bill [Lords]
6:15 pm
Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne, Labour)
Thank you, Mr. Amess, and may I say that, cold or otherwise, I shall not be crossing the Floor?
The amendment is designed to clarify the Government's commitment to sustainability. It is a probing amendment, and I look forward to hearing the Minister's response. It would place a requirement on the Consumer Council for Water to
''exercise and perform its powers and duties so as to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.''
That goes a little further than the Government allowed with an amendment in the other place, which my amendment would replace.
Sustainability is very relevant to consumers. It is central to the approach favoured by the Government, which combines economic, environmental and social concerns in the long-term interests of consumers. Last year, research by MORI showed that consumer interest in water went beyond price and included the quality of bathing water, cleaner beaches and protecting our environment. However, we all know that such programmes come at a cost. That is part of the wider debate about how we pay for our water. For consumers and the council that represents them it is vital that those issues are central to the wider debate—the big picture concerning water.
As I represent constituents in a low-income area with the highest water bills in the country, I believe that the wider picture is vital. I am anxious that we link the interests of consumers with that wider agenda, linking sustainability with affordability, and we could strengthen that link via the amendment. Only by addressing the wider issues can we properly tackle the question of how we pay for our water while dealing with problems such as water scarcity in East Anglia, or cleaning up the vast coastline of the south-west and polluted rivers throughout the country.
The Committee will note that the wording of the amendment echoes the requirement that page 46 of the Bill places on the regulator regarding sustainable development. It would add welcome consistency and coherence to the Bill. On Second Reading the Minister said:
''Both the new regulatory authority and the council will have a duty to contribute to sustainable development''—[Official Report, 8 September 2003; Vol. 410, c. 60.]
That is a little more than the Bill says, and I thought it important to clarify the point. I should welcome my hon. Friend's comments.