Written question asked by David Lidington (Conservative) on Tuesday, 11 January 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 January 2005. It was answered by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Monday, 17 January 2005 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Northern Ireland Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what analysis he has made of the costs and benefits of extending water metering to (a) hospitals, (b) schools and (c) Government offices in Northern Ireland.

Answer: Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what analysis he has made of the costs and benefits of extending water metering to (a) hospitals, (b) schools and (c) Government offices in Northern Ireland. [208602] Mr. Spellar: It has always been the policy to meter water supplies to properties that are not used exclusively for domestic purposes and this will continue to be the preferred basis for charging this customer group. Hospitals, schools and Government offices are currently metered and these account for around 2,700 of the 74,000 non-domestic meters.

Secondary information