HL Deb 18 June 1998 vol 590 c152WA
Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What changes they propose to make to the water abstraction licensing system in England and Wales. [HL2361]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)

Together with the Welsh Office, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has prepared a consultation paper, setting out a wide range of proposals which will ensure that abstraction licensing and related arrangements in England and Wales provide full protection to the water environment while enabling fair and flexible measures for meeting properly managed demand for water resources. We shall place copies in the Library of the House tomorrow morning, coincident with the paper's publication.