House of Lord's feel Government ignoring advice
Posted: Friday 12th January 2007
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee have today criticised the Government for a lacklustre response to their report, Water Management, published in June of 2006.
The Committee criticise the Government for failing to engage with their recommendations, saying that the response ‘consists largely of a recital of what the Government is already doing’ and labelling the response ‘unnecessarily defensive’.
In the Committee’s response they criticise the Government for remaining complacent about the high level of unpaid water bills. They dismiss as ‘dubious’ the Government’s excuse that this is part of a general growth in consumer debt.
The Committee reasserted that the problem has been exacerbated by the Government’s decision to ban the full or partial disconnection of domestic water. They point out that in Australia the threat of partial disconnection is a powerful incentive for consumers who are able, but refuse to pay their water bills.
Further criticisms are made of the Government’s failure to tackle the problems of water affordability for vulnerable groups. The Government’s response fails to answer the Committee’s criticisms of the excessively narrow eligibility for the Vulnerable Groups Regulations, and the Government appears to have completely ignored the Committee’s analysis of the need for greater help for families who are unable to pay their water bills.
The Committee gaves a warmer welcome to Ofwat’s more thoughtful response, whilst also highlighting the regulator’s ongoing problems with transparency and its misinterpretation of the sustainability duty.
The Committee also received a response from Water UK, the organisation that represents water companies. This is praised for taking on board the Committee’s concerns about affordability, and for its enthusiasm for grey-water recycling and increased levels of metering.
However, Water UK are criticised for taking an unduly conservative approach to extending competition in the water industry and improving the industry’s investment in research and development.
The response of the Government, Ofwat and Water UK as well as the Committee’s comments on those responses can be found at:
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/lords_s_t_select/stwater.cfm
The Science and Technology Committee’s original report, Water Management, was published on 6 June 2006 and can be found at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldselect/ldsctech/ldsctech.htm
