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16 Mar 2006 : Column 1689
Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill
Lords amendments to be considered tomorrow.
Damian Green (Ashford) (Con): On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Have the Government given you, and through you the House, any explanation of their extraordinary behaviour in pulling the business at about two hours' notice? Have the Government Whips had such a bad week that they need to go home early to lie down? It is virtually unprecedented in my experience of the House that an important Bill coming to its final stages is suddenly hoicked from the Order Paper for no reason, and the Government do not have the courtesy to give the House an explanation.
Mr. David Heath (Somerton and Frome) (LD): Further to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. The hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green) makes a point that I made a couple of hours ago. May I add to that—[Interruption.]
Madam Deputy Speaker (Sylvia Heal): Order. The hon. Gentleman is making a point of order to the Chair.
Mr. Heath: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Has there been any indication from the Leader of the House that he anticipates making another business statement on Monday in order to correct the incorrect business statement that he made earlier today, which made no reference to further consideration of the Bill at any time during the next couple of weeks?
Madam Deputy Speaker: I have received no such indication from the Leader of the House. Returning to the original point of order, it is, of course, the prerogative and responsibility of the hon. Member in charge of the Bill or motion to decide whether to proceed. I am not aware of any other explanation, but I have no doubt that the Bill will return at a later stage.
Mr. Edward Garnier (Harborough) (Con): On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. On Friday 3 March I raised a point of order with the Second Deputy Chairman in relation to an incident that took place at Nottingham East Midlands airport on 4 March. In response, the Second Deputy Chairman quite properly said that that was not a matter for him, but that he felt sure that the relevant Minister, namely one from the Department for Transport, would read what was said and would no doubt respond. I raised that point of order two weeks ago, and I have heard nothing since then, apart from noisy night flights out of that airport. Is there any way in which you can encourage the Minister with responsibility for aviation or one of the more senior Ministers in that Department to apply their mind to what is a serious problem and have the courtesy to this House and to a MP to respond?
Madam Deputy Speaker: I can only repeat to the hon. and learned Gentleman what my colleague, the Second Deputy Chairman, has already said—there is nothing that I can do. However, he may want to consider another way of getting a response to his question other than a point of order.
16 Mar 2006 : Column 1690
Water Shortages (West Sussex)
Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Claire Ward.]
4.16 pm
Nick Herbert (Arundel and South Downs) (Con): I am grateful for this opportunity to raise what is becoming one of the most serious issues for local people in West Sussex, which is the shortage of water. The past two years have been the driest period in the south-east since 1922, surpassing even the most serious post-war drought, which many of us remember, between 1974 and 1976. Many parts of the south-east have experienced less than three quarters of their long-term average rainfall in that period, and last winter was the second driest in Sussex since 1904. Only four of the past 16 months have seen rainfall reach average levels, and research commissioned by the south-east counties leaders group in 2004 found that less than half of the rainfall experienced in the region recharges water resources, which means that the south-east has less water per head than Syria.
Current water levels continue to cause concern. Despite some rainfall last month, river levels in West Sussex are at their lowest level for three decades— for example, the Ouse was flowing at only 41 per cent. of its long-term average last month. Almost 70 per cent. of water supplies in the south-east come from underground, so it is particularly worrying that groundwater levels are still below the long-term average for this month. On 9 March, the Bewl reservoir, which serves 400,000 people in Kent and East Sussex, was only 53 per cent. full, which is the lowest level that the reservoir has reached at this time of the year since it was built in 1974—for comparison's sake, the average level for this time of year is 84 per cent.
Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex) (Con): I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this important Adjournment debate. He is aware, because he is coming to an infrastructure seminar tomorrow in East Grinstead in my constituency, that the Weirwood reservoir is even lower than Bewl. Is he aware that the Government have imposed on West Sussex county council a target to build 4,000 new houses at East Grinstead and that the requirement for extra water for those houses will be 6.75 million litres a day? Where does he think that that water will come from, and does he agree that that is not sustainable development?
Nick Herbert: I am grateful to my hon. Friend and agree with everything that he says. That is indeed the worry—where will the water come from in order to support the additional housing demand? I pay tribute to him for holding his infrastructure seminar tomorrow, at which leaders of the county councils and others will discuss the problem of the infrastructure deficit. That was also addressed by the private Member's Bill promoted by my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude), which West Sussex Members were delighted to support and which suggested that there should be a proper audit of the infrastructure requirements of a development before it goes ahead.
The Weirwood reservoir is at about half its normal level, and the Environment Agency has confirmed that only one of the seven reservoirs serving the southern
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region is at normal levels for this time of year. That has a serious impact in several ways. First, it affects farming. The south-east is one of England's most important regions for arable farming and horticulture, which takes place in the south of my constituency. The drought is already causing concern as the key growing season looms. The Environment Agency's report, "Drought Prospects", published last month, set out three possible scenarios for the summer: average rainfall for February to April, 80 per cent. of the average during that period, or 60 per cent. of the average. The report stated that if the south-east were to receive only 60 per cent. of the average for this time of year,
"Farmers would find groundwater and surface water sources to be very unreliable and could expect restrictions on spray irrigation".
That will have a direct impact on the supplies of the food that they produce and on their profitability, which is already being challenged.
Secondly, there is an environmental impact, including on local wildlife. Some of the finest wetland nature reserves in England are located in the south-east, such as Pulborough Brooks in my constituency. I suspect that the Minister may know about that. The ground is increasingly dry for the hundreds of pairs of lapwings and redshanks that traditionally breed in the south-east, and as flood plains dry out there are ever fewer places where these birds can breed and nest. At Pulborough Brooks reserve, just one pair of lapwings produced chicks last year, compared with 10 pairs in a normal year. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds believes that that is because of the drought.
In terms of the prospect now confronting us, the Environment Agency has warned that water companies in the south-east, such as Southern Water, which largely serves my constituency, will need to do several things, all of which I wish to discuss. They include maintaining hosepipe bans, educating the public further about the severity of the drought, increased leakage control, and ensuring that drought plans are taken in good time. What worried me, and was one of the reasons why I called the debate, was the Environment Agency's comment that
"Any delay increases the risk later in the year of extreme steps to manage public water supply, such as the introduction of standpipes and rota cuts".
That public statement by the Environment Agency has begun to worry people who already face hosepipe bans in their households. I understand from a meeting that I had with Southern Water this week that it hopes that standpipes will not have to be introduced. However, the fact that the agency has warned of that underlines the need for further measures to deal with the problem.
A hosepipe ban has already been in place in West Sussex for eight months. It is extraordinary to impose a hosepipe ban during the winter months. The current hosepipe bans affect more than 3.4 million people in the whole of the south-east. Following Thames Water's announcement of a hosepipe ban, that extension will affect another 3.5 million people. Folkestone and Dover Water has applied for water scarcity status and has become the first water company to be successful in being given the go-ahead to install compulsory water meters, under the Water Industry Act 1999. I should like to explore the extent to which the Government are willing
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to see a further use of water meters and what impact they think that that will have on consumption and on some of the poorer households who may be adversely affected if there is a further move towards water metering.
I want to deal specifically with the issue that my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames) raised about population growth in the south-east.
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