§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the outcome of the public inquiry on the River Wye will be published; and if he will make a statement. [149523]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 8 February 2001]: The application made by the Environment Agency for an Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 to confer on it powers to regulate navigation on the River Wye has raised complicated issues which require very careful consideration. Following the public inquiry into the application we received detailed representations from parties to the inquiry, including the Agency. Last year, in the interests of proper administration, we made these representations available to others appearing at the inquiry so that they could comment on them. We are now considering their comments along with the Inspectors Report.
We will make a decision on the application as soon as possible. Before doing so, we will consult the National Assembly for Wales since the proposed Order would, if made, affect Wales as well as England.