Dr. Paul McGowan:

I will add to some of those points. The Deputy asked if the data in general support conservation. Data will always support conservation, whether it is at individual household level, at the aggregate level of the district or at national level. One will always look to data to give the evidence that would support decision-making.

On the final question about whether metering would be a good idea, at ground zero, I cannot give a definitive answer but I can offer a few observations. First, 12 out of 20 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, countries use metering for water charging, so it is common. Certainly, metering is the norm in our experience of utility regulation when it comes to charging for a utility, bearing in mind that we regulate both energy and water. Typically, however, we would look to a full evidence-based cost-benefit study to make a determination on a question such as that, so it would be premature for me to give the Deputy a direct answer.