---

22 Jan 2003 : Column 340W—continued

Environment Agency

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review High Level Target 9 following the Environment Agency's report to her Department. [89751]

Margaret Beckett: All High Level Targets, including Target 9, are due to be reviewed this year.

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total budget for the Environment Agency (a) was in 2001–02 and (b) is in 2002–03. [91508]

22 Jan 2003 : Column 341W

Mr. Meacher: The total expenditure budget for the Environment Agency in (a) 2001–02 was £662.3 million and (b) 2002–03 was £758.2 million.

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government are taking to ensure that the Environment Agency website can cope with the volume of traffic in emergencies. [91394]

Mr. Morley: The website is not the primary means of providing flood warning. The main flood warning systems operate effectively, including the Agency's Floodline telephone service, Automatic Voice Warning systems, news media information and direct manual warnings in flood warned areas.

However, the Environment Agency has recognised the problems that occurred on its website during the new year floods. It has acted to improve the reliability of its service by installing a new high volume service to provide flood warning information for up to 100,000 visitors an hour—some 20 times more than the volume of visitors experienced during the peak of the new year floods.

In addition, the Agency has restructured its website so that the flood warning facility will be unaffected by other non-flood warning users, and updated the design and search facility to provide a more user-friendly service.

European Water Directive

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department will be making to the Council of Ministers in discussions regarding the European Water Framework Directive concerning acceptable targets and objectives for levels of mercury in groundwater. [91928]

Mr. Morley: The Department will seek to ensure that both human health and the ecosystems dependent upon groundwater are protected from the risks posed by mercury. We will be looking to ensure that the Water Framework Directive and the intended new "daughter" Directive for Groundwater deliver the same high level of protection that is provided under the existing stringent regulatory regime covering mercury in groundwater.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources have been made available in the spending review to the Environment Agency to carry out its role as competent authority in implementing the European Water Framework Directive. [91929]

Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency has continued to receive significant grant-in-aid from the Department. This has increased from £103.7 million in 1999–2000 to £116.7 million in 2002–03 (figures in EA Corporate Plan for 2002–03).

In total, the agency's budget (grant plus charges and levies) has increased from £620 million in 1999–2000 to just short of £750 million in 2002–03. These are substantial resources, and our view is that the agency is sufficiently funded to deliver its statutory responsibilities.

22 Jan 2003 : Column 342W

It is for the agency to organise those resources so that the Water Framework Directive is adequately resourced but we are confident it has been provided with adequate means to do so.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what planning policy and regional guidance will be issued to local authorities with regard to the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive. [91930]

Mr. Morley: Planning policy is for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. Planning policy guidance note, (PPG) 25 Development and flood risk, already makes reference to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. In addition, PPG 23 Planning and pollution control, is currently being revised and it will also make appropriate reference. We are considering whether anything further will be required as regards the implications for planning of the Water Framework Directive.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what she estimates the impact of the European Water Framework Directive to be upon (a) water management and (b) land use planning at local government level. [91931]

Mr. Morley: The information is as follows:

(a) The Water Framework Directive sets up a catchment-based system of managing water through the establishment of river basin districts. The Environment Agency, which the Government have proposed should be the competent authority for the directive, already manages water on a catchment basis. Therefore, although boundaries will be new, the principle will not.

In addition, England is well placed in legislative and institutional terms to implement the directive-in terms of the regulatory system, licence regimes and legal framework already in place. Our second consultation paper consults on what the gaps are and how they might be filled.

The activities required by the Water Framework Directive-such as review of human activity, economic analysis, co-ordination of river basin management plans and selection of programme(s) of measures-will enable water to be managed in a more holistic way which encourages interested parties to contribute more actively to how water is managed in their area.

(b) We are considering the implications of the Directive for land use planning at local government level in discussion with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Environment Agency and others. The Environment agency is also carrying out research into the effects of land use on water quality.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the overall costs to the United Kingdom that will be incurred by the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive. [91932]

Mr. Morley: In England and Wales a preliminary assessment of the costs and benefits of implementing the Directive was set out in the first consultation paper issued jointly by the then Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the

22 Jan 2003 : Column 343W

National Assembly for Wales. The study estimated total costs in the range of £2 billion to £9.2 billion. A copy of the paper is in the House Library.

These costs will be updated in the revised Regulatory Impact Assessment which is in progress and which will be published with the Third Consultation Paper which will be published this year.

Implementation of the directive in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter. Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government are working jointly on transposition.

Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department and the Environment Agency are putting in place to prepare for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive. [91933]

Mr. Morley: The Water Framework Directive deadlines stretch to 2015, the date by which environmental objectives must be met.

Much work is already underway by both Defra and the Environment Agency to prepare for implementation. Both have consulted and will consult further on implementation. The Environment Agency has developed an implementation programme to prepare for implementation.

Water Framework Directive

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to consult non-governmental organisations about the interpretation and implementation of the Water Framework Directive. [88433]

Margaret Beckett: We are currently consulting on our proposals to give legal effect to the Directive. This includes proposals covering the public participation requirements of the Directive in Article 14. This is our second consultation and a third is planned for 2003. The Environment Agency have also, at our request, been carrying out consultation on various technical issues relating to the Directive.

In June 2001, we set up a forum for key stakeholders to discuss issues relating to the Water Framework Directive and water policy in general. Its membership covers a wide range of interests, including the environment, the water industry, agriculture, the countryside and industry. At its first meeting, the group agreed that it would have three main purposes: to provide input to Government thinking on transposition of the Water Framework Directive; raise issues of concern to the group relating to implementation of the WFD; and provide input into development of a long-term strategy for water.

In addition, Defra set up an interactive electronic stakeholder forum a year ago, with the aim of capturing a wider range of stakeholder views about the water environment. Ideas from this forum were directly reflected in our document on future priorities for water policy, "Directing the Flow", published last month.

Beyond that, Defra has played an active role in a wide range of stakeholder conferences and seminars organised by other organisations, where stakeholders

22 Jan 2003 : Column 344W

have got together to discuss specific aspects of water policy, in many of which the Water Framework Directive was a prominent issue.

Defra officials and Ministers have also had a large number of bilateral meetings with stakeholders on water policy issues.

Finally, the Government regulatory agencies (Environment Agency, English Nature, Ofwat) have had a large number of meetings themselves with stakeholders on water policy and the Water Framework Directive.

---