§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the definitions that have been used by his Department to define a bathing beach since the 1976 Bathing Waters Directive of the European Commission was issued; and on what dates the definitions were changed.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe definition of a bathing water is given in article 1(2)(a) of directive 76/160/EEC. Further advice on relevant criteria for assessing whether waters should be identified under the bathing water directive was given by the Commission of the European Communities in October 1985, in an answer given in the European Parliament.