§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will launch a Government action plan to encourage using water more wisely;
(2) what action he has taken following the receipt of responses to the publication of "Using Water Wisely, A Consultation Paper", July 1992, DoE/Welsh Office.
§ Mr. AtkinsWe intend to publish shortly a document setting out the range of actions that we are taking in the light of the responses to the consultation paper.
§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what targets and mechanisms he will introduce to ensure the sustainable use of water in accordance with the principles of sustainable development as set out in articles 3 and 4 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.
§ Mr. AtkinsFor England and Wales, the system of water management, introduced by the Water Resources Act 1963 and most recently updated by the Water Act 1989, provides an excellent framework for ensuring the sustainable management of water. Systems for the same purposes exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The policies to be followed, and the challenges to be addressed, in running these systems are described in "Sustainable Development—The UK Strategy" (Cm 2426).