---

Flood and Water Management Bill

I am extremely disappointed by the Minister's latter remarks because it was our understanding, and that of Water UK and the other companies he met, that he was going to make a statement on the record this evening that could be potentially justiciable. He has not gone as far as they would have liked, as they wanted to see our amendments written into the Bill. The Minister may have written to members of the Committee, but that does not include all the participants in the debate today, including my hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Mrs. Miller) and the hon. Member for South Derbyshire (Mr. Todd). What has happened, as I understand it, does not meet the terms of the Pepper v. Hart case, which we relied on when we were in government in the past.