asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the conclusion of the report of the Select Committee on nationalised industries in February 1978 that if no merger were to occur between the British Waterways Board and the water industry, the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council should continue to function as an independent advisory body.

We are aware of the Select Committee's recommendation, and appreciate the good work the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council has done in the past, but in the context of the Government's general policy on quangos we did not regard the case for retaining this organisation as sufficiently strong.