asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is satisfied with the operation of the Water Act in relation to the need for water authorities to be sufficiently responsive to public opinion on planning and environmental matters.

In general, yes. But the White Paper on the Review of the Water Industry (Cmnd. 6876) proposes further measures aimed at enhancing water authorities' responsiveness to local needs—in particular, the suggested statutory requirement to establish wide ranging liaison within their areas, and the increase in local authority representation on water authorities.