Mr. Chris Jones:

In terms of measuring consumption, this is straightforward in the case of metered customers. The simple fact in respect of non-metered customers is that we do not know what each individual household takes. What we do is measure consumption for a neighbourhood. A district is sealed area into which water is piped. This allows us to see how consumption varies and gives us a good idea of average consumption in each district. If there are businesses and so on in the district, their demand is netted off because they are metered, often in real time.

While we have a good idea of average consumption, we do not know what an individual property that is not metered consumes. However, in the context of where we are coming from, that has not been the number one issue for us. The main issues for us are getting control of the distribution network in order to reduce leakage in the network. We have made major strides in this area through technology, focus and investment, which have made a significant difference. We have reached what is known in the jargon at the economic level of leakage. This is effectively the level of leakage which minimises bills to customers. In every one of our zones, we make our calculations based on the cost of the water lost as against the cost of finding, fixing and so on so as to identify what is the optimal level. That is the point we are achieving in all our zones, which means we are able to tell our customers that leakage is well under control and costing them the least amount possible. That is probably the key point.

In terms of water conservation literature, as a not-for-profit company, we are very keen to work in co-operation with people elsewhere. We have been open to partnerships and we work well with Scottish Water and other companies in the rest of Europe. If we can help in any way, as we have done by appearing today to share our experiences, we will be delighted to do so. I do not know if it is an advantage but all of our material is bilingual. This may give people here a head start in terms of layout. It is important for us that we provide all of our educational material through the medium of Welsh in our Welsh speaking communities. This brings me back to my point that our company's purpose is to support our customers and society. If we can make this a positive Welsh language experience for our customers, that is something we are very keen to do.