Clause 47 - Provision of information to the Council
Water Bill [Lords]
10:15 am
Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster, Conservative)
My comments are general—[Laughter.] They reflect the views of the Consumer Council for Water and the National Consumer Council and apply to the whole series of amendments. If the Minister is lost, I shall be more precise, because my intention has always been to be constructive in my comments. It fits in well to omit lines 31 to 34 and insert:
''Before giving a direction under this section and in specifying the form in which any information is to be supplied the Council shall have regard to''.
I have no interest in losing the Minister on this important series of amendments, but I want to make some basic comments that have come from the Consumer Council for Water because they are relevant and important. Essentially, the creation of an independent consumer council is welcome, but independence is not necessarily enough. It must have the right powers and resources to improve on the current system of consumer representation. Amendment No. 64 seeks to do that by requiring the council to have regard to
''whether in respect of a direction to a body (other than the Authority) . . . similar information in the form required may be held already by the Authority''.
In addition, it specifies that
''the cost or other burden to the body in supplying the information''
may not be excessive.
I hope that that comment sets the tone for the Minister's response. All the amendments to clause 47 fit in with what we are trying to achieve: an improvement in the current situation.