§ 21. Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the work and funding of the National Rivers Authority.
§ Mr. TrippierThe NRA is continuing to develop its role as a powerful and independent regulator and guardian of the water environment. It has been very substantially helped to do so by our making available a 28 per cent. increase in grant-in-aid in the current year compared with previous provision. It will also have available an estimated £25 million from the scheme of charges in respect of discharge consents which is now being implemented and extra income from abstraction licence holders.