§ Mr. CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps the Government have taken to(a) inform and (b) seek the views of local authorities on the revision of the 1976 EC Bathing Water Directive. [142937]
§ Mr. MullinA number of local authorities took part in practical trials in the summers of 1999 and 2000 aimed at developing a new approach to managing bathing waters as a basis for a revision of the EC Bathing Water Directive. The EC Commission plans to publish shortly a Communication relating to the proposed revision and we shall be seeking views on it from local authorities and others.