Amendments proposed to the Water Bill [Lords] - continued	House of Commons
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Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key

43

Clause     28,     page     33,     leave out lines 31 to 38.

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Norman Baker
Sue Doughty

202

*Clause     29,     page     34,     line     11,     leave out 'serious' and insert 'significant'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key

54

Clause     29,     page     34,     line     15,     at end insert—

    '(1A)   When the holder of the licence is a company appointed as a water undertaker under the WIA, the revocation or variation will not—

(a)

require the undertaker, in order to meet all its existing obligations to supply water for domestic or other purposes, together with its probable future obligations to supply buildings and parts of buildings with water for domestic purposes, to incur unreasonable expenditure in carrying out works; or

(b)	otherwise put at risk its ability to meet any of the existing or probable future obligations mentioned in paragraph (a) above.'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key

55

Clause     29,     page     34,     line     17,     at end insert—

    '(2A)   Whenever the Secretary of State determines under this section that compensation should not be paid under section 61 of the WRA in respect of the revocation or variation of a licence, the holder of the licence may dispute the determination by referring the dispute to the arbitration of a single arbitrator appointed by the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

    (2B)   When a dispute is referred to arbitration under subsection (2A)—

(a)	the arbitrator shall take into account any representations that the Secretary of State, the Environment Agency or the Authority may wish to submit to him; and

(b)	in making his award the arbitrator may confirm, revoke or vary the whole of the Secretary of State's determination, or any part of the determination whether the reference relates to that part of the determination or not.'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key

44

Page     34,     line     1,     leave out Clause 29.

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Norman Baker
Sue Doughty

203

*Clause     30,     page     35,     line     6,     after 'shall', insert 'put these arrangements in the public domain and'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key
Mr Simon Thomas

45

Clause     30,     page     35,     line     7,     at end insert 'and these arrangements shall be put in the public domain'.

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Norman Baker
Sue Doughty

204

*Clause     31,     page     35,     line     17,     leave out from beginning to 'or' and insert 'reasonable terms'.

   

Norman Baker
Sue Doughty

205

*Clause     31,     page     35,     line     20,     leave out from 'on' to end of line 21 and insert 'reasonable terms'.

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Norman Baker
Sue Doughty

206

*Clause     32,     page     36,     line     15,     leave out 'significant'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key

46

Clause     32,     page     37,     line     30,     after 'conviction', insert 'by the high court'.

   

Norman Baker
Sue Doughty

207

*Clause     32,     page     37,     line     30,     leave out '£20,000' and insert '£50,000'.

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NEW CLAUSES RELATING TO PART 1 (EXCEPT CLAUSE 33)

Commencement and expiry of licences

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key

NC1

To move the following Clause—

       'After section 46 of the WRA there is inserted—

    "46B    Commencement and expiry of licences

    (1)   A licence granted under this Chapter to abstract water—

(a)	to prevent interference with any mining, quarrying or engineering operations (whether underground or surface); or

(b)	to prevent damage to works resulting from such operations ('de-watering abstractions');

       shall be stated to take effect to expire simultaneously with any planning permission or any extension or amendment to any planning permission granted for such mining, quarrying or engineering operations instead of a specific date, or dates, in the licence for the de-watering abstraction itself.

    (2)   In all other respects, reference in this chapter to the date on which a licence is stated to take effect and on which it expires, insofar as a licence for the de-watering abstraction is concerned, refers to the commencement and expiry dates comprised in any planning permission authorising the mining, quarrying or engineering operations relevant to the de-watering abstraction.".'.

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Renewal of licences (mines and quarries)

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key


NC2

To move the following Clause—

       'After section 46 of the WRA there is inserted—

    "46ZA    Renewal of licences (mines and quarries)

    (1)   An application to renew a licence granted under this Chapter to abstract water—

(a)	to prevent interference with any mining, quarrying or engineering operations (whether underground or surface); or

(b)	to prevent damage to works resulting from such operations ('de-watering abstractions');

       shall be subject to the three tests specified in subsection (2).

    (2)   Those tests are that it can be reasonably demonstrated that—

(a)	environmental sustainability can be achieved;

(b)	the need for the licence is demonstrable; and

(c)	the water extracted under the licence is being and will be used efficiently and effectively.

    (3)   If the tests specified in subsection (2) are met, the licence will be renewed for a minimum of six years.

    (4)   Where an application to renew a licence under the preceding provisions of this section is refused, a person who made the application may appeal to the Secretary of State within such period and subject to such procedures as may be prescribed by order.

    46ZBRenewal of licences (mines and quarries): compensation       Where an application to renew a licence is refused under section 46ZA above, or the terms of the licence are varied and the effect of the resultant restriction of working rights would be such as to prejudice adversely to an unreasonable degree—

(a)	the economic viability of operating the site; or

(b)	the asset value of the site,

compensation shall be payable in accordance with arrangements prescribed by order.".'.

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Norman Baker
Sue Doughty


208

*Clause     33,     page     37,     line     43,     at end insert 'and at the end of paragraph (b) of subsection (1) there is inserted "or".'.

   

Norman Baker
Sue Doughty


209

*Clause     33,     page     38,     line     3,     leave out 'or'.

   

Norman Baker
Sue Doughty


210

*Clause     33,     page     38,     leave out lines 4 and 5.

   

Mr Elliot Morley


170

*Page     37,     line     41,     leave out Clause 33.

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Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key


121

Schedule     1,     page     133,     line     33,     after 'State', insert 'and published'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key
Norman Baker
Sue Doughty


69

Schedule     1,     page     134,     line     15,     at beginning insert—

    '(1)   The Secretary of State shall, after consulting the chairman and the Assembly, appoint a person (who may, subject to sub-paragraph (2), also be a member of the Authority) to act as chief executive of the Authority on such terms and conditions as the Secretary of State may think appropriate.

    (2)   A person appointed as chief executive may not at the same time be a chairman.'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key
Norman Baker
Sue Doughty


56

Schedule     1,     page     134,     line     29,     at end insert—

    '7A(1)   Minutes shall be kept of meetings of members of the Authority.

    (2)   Subject to sub-paragraph (3), such minutes shall be available for inspection by any person, and a copy of them, shall be given to any person who requests one.

    (3)   There shall be excluded from the minutes to which sub-paragraph (2) applies such parts of the minutes—

(a)	as may disclose the identity of any individual other than a member of the Authority or its chief executive;

(b)	as contain information which the Authority is prohibited from disclosing by section 206;

(c)	as require to be protected from disclosure in order to safeguard national security (which includes security of the provision of water supplies and sewerage services);

(d)	as relate to the investigation of crime;

(e)	as contain information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings;

(f)	as contain price sensitive information (but so that such information shall not be excluded when it is no longer price sensitive); and

(g)	as contain information the disclosure of which is prohibited by any rule of law.'.

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Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key


70

Clause     38,     page     41,     line     23,     at end insert—

'(d)	the Council and the Scottish Parliament.'.

   

Mr Bill Wiggin
Mr George Osborne
Mr Robert Key


71

Clause     38,     page     41,     line     43,     leave out subsection (2).
Prepared 12 Sept 2003