§ Mr. Hoosonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what criteria are adopted by river authorities in deciding whether a river should be adopted by them as a main river; and what directions as to policy are given to the river authorities by his Department
§ Mr. Peter MillsRiver authorities are autonomous bodies which decide for themselves on land drainage grounds whether a watercourse should be adopted as main river. Since 1949 the length of main river 253W in England and Wales has increased from 13,000 to 20,000 miles. The rate of increase is governed by many factors, including the physical and financial resources of river authorities. No policy directions have been given by my Department.