48HO Mid Kent Wtr4%

RNS Number:2034F
Competition Commission
8 February 2000

                           
 COMPETITION COMMISSION INVITES EVIDENCE ON APPEALS BY
  MID KENT WATER PLC AND SUTTON AND EAST SURREY WATER
    PLC AGAINST WATER PRICE LIMITS IMPOSED BY WATER
                       REGULATOR

The  Competition Commission has been asked to  examine
the  price limits on water and infrastructure  charges
set  by  the  Director General of  Water  Services  in
November  1999, in respect of Mid Kent Water plc,  and
Sutton and East Surrey Water plc.  Both companies have
disputed the Director General's determinations.

When  the Director General announced the price  limits
he  also  proposed  a  licence modification  to  allow
companies  to ask for a resetting of price  limits  if
specified  changes affect their revenue by  more  than
one  per cent.  The Director General has also referred
this  licence modification for these two companies  to
the Commission.

The  Commission, which has been asked to  examine  the
disputed price limits and licence modifications within
six  months,  would like to hear from  any  person  or
organisation  with  information  or  views  on  either
appeal.

The Commission would like evidence in writing by
Tuesday 29 February, to be sent to:
       The Reference Secretary (Water Inquiries)
       Competition Commission
       New Court
       48 Carey Street
       London WC2A 2JT
                                                      
Graham Corbett, a Deputy Chairman of the Commission,
will head the inquiry.  The other members of the group
are Jonathan Rickford, Richard Rawlinson, and from the
Commission's water panel, Martin Webster and Professor
David Parker.
                                                      
                                                      
Notes to Editors

1.   The reference was made to the Commission by the
  Director General of Water Services on 7 February 2000.
  See OFWAT press release PN 4/00.

2.   Biographical notes

Mr  Graham  Corbett CBE was until 1996 Chief Financial
Officer  of  Eurotunnel and a member of the Eurotunnel
Joint  Board  and  of the Boards  of  the  French  and
British  companies. He was awarded a CBE in  1994  for
services to transport. Prior to joining Eurotunnel  in
1987  he  had, since 1976, been the Senior Partner  of
Peat  Marwick's  Continental European  Firm  based  in
Paris. Mr Corbett is a non-executive director of  Kier
Group plc, a trustee of the Franco-British Council and
Chairman  of  trustees of the Research  Institute  for
Consumer Affairs, a charity carrying out research into
goods  and  services for people with  disabilities.  A
past Chairman of Finance for Brunel University, he was
awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Brunel in 1995.

Mr  Jonathan  Rickford is a solicitor and  independent
consultant on regulation and European law and  policy;
he is the Project Director of the Government's current
Review  of  Company Law and a Council  member  of  the
European  Policy Forum. He was Director  of  Corporate
Strategy  at  BT from 1993 to 1996, having  previously
held  posts  with BT since 1987 as their  Director  of
Government  Relations and their  Solicitor  and  Chief
Legal  Adviser. Mr Rickford held various  posts  as  a
legal  adviser in the Civil Service from 1972 to 1987.
He was also a member of the CBI's Europe Committee.

Mr Richard Rawlinson is a Director of Monitor Company,
the strategy consultants. He joined Monitor Company in
1984, founding their European consultancy practice  in
1985,  running their operations in Japan from 1990  to
1993  and  setting up their operations  in  Hong  Kong
between 1993 and 1996. Before joining Monitor, he  was
a  Banking Executive with J Henry Schroder Wagg  &  Co
Limited  and an Associates Fellow at Harvard  Business
School.

Martyn Webster was Group Managing Director of Southern
Water  plc  from 1993-96, having previously  held  the
position  of  Group  Finance  Director  from  1989-92.
Before  joining Southern Water, Mr Webster  was  Group
Financial  Controller  at Laporte  plc  (1986-89)  and
Financial  Controller at NCR Ltd (1979-86). His  early
career  was with Price Waterhouse (1968-79). He  is  a
member  of  the Institute of Chartered Accountants  in
England and Wales.

Professor David Parker has been Professor of  Business
Economics and Strategy at Aston Business School  since
1997  and holds a visiting research post at the Centre
for  the  Study  of  Regulated Industries.  He  was  a
lecturer/senior   lecturer  at   the   University   of
Birmingham Business School from 1993-97, and prior  to
that  he  was  Dean  of  the Business  School  at  the
University  of Hertfordshire (1992-93) and a  lecturer
at Cranfield School of Management (1989-92). Professor
Parker has acted as a consultant on privatisation  and
regulation in a number of overseas countries  and  has
written  extensively on both subjects. He is a  member
of  the  Institute  of  Management  and  their  Senior
Manager Forum.

3.   Further information can be obtained from our
  website at www.competition-commission.org.uk/ref.htm
  
4.   Enquiries should be directed to:
  Francis Royle, Press Officer    Tel: 0207 271 0242
  
 
                                                      
END
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