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Flood and Water Management Bill

My Lords, my honourable friend in the other place expressed a desire to consult on the guidance. Under the code of practice on consultation, the Government will consult on the guidance as a matter of course, and that will include Ofwat. So Ofwat and other interested stakeholders can all participate in that necessary consultation. We do not need to specify that Ofwat is consulted because such a consultation would expect all significant parties to play their part. I hope he will withdraw Amendment 58 because we take on board his point about Ofwat’s responsibilities. I will look at the question of primary legislation but, as I have said, the powers already exist. We do not think it is about primary legislation; rather, it is about conditioning Ofwat’s perspective from the public debate of priorities, which is what its concentration is designed to identify.