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Water Abstraction (SSSIs)
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sites of special scientific interest are assessed as being at risk due to over-abstraction of water. [55458]
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Mr. Morley [holding answer 6 March 2006]: In the order of 80 sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been identified as at risk from a water company abstraction and are being investigated under the Asset Management programme-AMP-4. Of these 54 are within sites designated under the habitats directive or the birds directive.
Further SSSIs which may be at risk from licensed abstraction, including that from agriculture and other industries as well as water companies, are being identified by English Nature as part of its overall programme to meet the SSSI public service agreement (PSA) target. This programme is identifying he work which needs to be put in place, and by whom, to restore all SSSIs assessed as unfavourable to a recovering or favourable condition. Any further SSSIs identified as at risk from licensed abstraction will be considered with the Environment Agency for action. In parallel, the Environment Agency in consultation with English Nature, is reviewing all its consents and licences affecting SSSIs that have been designated under the habitats directive or the birds directive.
Water Supply
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent long-term water shortages. [56123]
Mr. Morley: The Environment Agency is the statutory body with a duty to manage water resources in England and Wales. As part of the agency's management role it has both national and regional water resource strategies which set out the pressures over the next 25 years.
Water companies have statutory duties to maintain adequate supplies of water. They have 25 year water resource plans which complement the agency strategies and seek to reconcile supply with anticipated demand. This forward planning framework exists to take into account water supply infrastructure required to service significant new housing developments and the implications of climate change.
Although produced voluntarily, every five years, at present these plans will become a statutory requirement under the provisions of the Water Act 2003. My Department is currently consulting on the exercise of the new powers in respect of statutory water resource plans.
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reservoir capacity of each water company was at the time of privatisation; what the capacity was of the reservoirs of each company or its successor on the latest day for which figures are available; and what the amount of leakage was from the pipes of each water company (a) in 1995–96 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available. [56491]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 6 March 2006]: There has been very little change in reservoir capacity since privatisation in 1989. Overall there has been a balance of some small reservoirs being taken out of operation and some introduced.
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The capacities quoted below are for 2006 and derived from records of reservoirs that fall within the ambit of the Reservoirs Act 1975; it therefore includes the capacity of all reservoirs that are capable of storing water in excess of 25,000 cubic metres behind any form of dam or bunding arrangements. The capacities are listed against the company that owns the reservoir: in some cases the resources of some reservoirs are shared between two or three companies.
(4) This was zero in 1989.
The Director General of Water Services publishes leakage figures annually in the Security of supply, leakage and the efficient use of water" reports. Total water company leakage, in megalitres per day, was reported as follows:
Mr. Soames:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what minimum (a) additional water supply infrastructure, (b) additional works to existing water supply infrastructure and (c) change in per capita consumption of water she expects to be required in order to enable an adequate water supply to be maintained when the Government have achieved their
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target for additional new dwellings in Mid Sussex by 2016; and what steps the Government are taking to ensure an adequate water supply. [56566]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 6 March 2006]: The Environment Agency is the statutory body with a duty to manage water resources in England and Wales. As part of the agency's management role it has both national and regional water resource strategies which set out the pressures over the next 25 years.
Water companies have statutory duties to maintain adequate supplies of water. They have 25 year water resource plans which complement the agency strategies and seek to reconcile supply with anticipated demand. The plans take account of changing trends in water consumption. This forward planning framework exists to take account of factors such as the water supply and disposal infrastructure required to service significant new housing developments.
It is for water companies to plan the investment necessary to deliver their services, including the necessary financial provision, and it is for Ofwat, in the light of companies' plans, to secure that companies carry out and are able to finance their functions.
Water Tariffs
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of applying the water affordability tariff, to be introduced in Northern Ireland in April 2007, to England and Wales. [54311]
Mr. Morley: The new affordability tariff in Northern Ireland is being introduced in response to particular circumstances which do not apply in England and Wales. A parallel cannot be drawn which might warrant extending the scheme to England.
Northern Ireland has a public sector water service and there are no household water and sewerage charges. The costs are instead met by local and national taxation. This is set to change in April 2007, when charges will be introduced for the first time. As no charges have been paid before, the Government decided to ease the transition towards full cost recovery, phasing in the charges gradually over a three-year period. The new affordability tariff in Northern Ireland will be based on income and set at a level equivalent to 3 per cent. of the single person's pension credit guarantee, as updated by Parliament each year. The status of the protection will be reviewed after three years.
The water industry in England and Wales is within the private sector and costs are met by charges to customers, a system which is long established. It is not appropriate to subsidise private water companies with taxpayers' money. Subsidies would reduce incentives for companies to improve their performance, and to be accountable to their customers.
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