Clause 60 - The Chief Inspector of Drinking Water and
Water Bill [Lords]
3:30 pm
Mr Bill Wiggin (Leominster, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 105, in
clause 60, page 75, leave out lines 16 to 24.
This clause deals with the appointment of the drinking water inspectorate, and the amendment concerns the subsection in which the chief inspector of drinking water may or may not be the same for both England and Wales. The purpose is to identify what encouragements the Government have to ensure that the drinking water inspector covers both England and Wales, because there are all sorts of contradictory problems with the job. It is an important job and I welcome its inclusion in the Bill, but it would be sensible to have economies of scale and combine the jobs for one person.
If the Welsh Assembly chose to be difficult and appoint its own drinking water inspector, what financial burden would that place on it? Would there be a cost? Why do we need two people? Why could it not be the same person?