asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to amend section 30 of the Water Charges Equalisation Act 1977 to reduce the burden of payments on the Thames water authority.

We have already announced our intention to repeal the Water Charges Equalisation Act 1977. We believe that section 30 of the Water Act 1973 broadly provides the best system of financing, although we are concerned about certain aspects of charging.