§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what way catchment abstraction management strategies will include the water requirements of UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitats in England and Wales. [70184]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 17 July 2002]UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitats will be included as one of the environmental considerations when Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies are prepared.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abstraction licence holders have voluntarily converted their licences of right to time limited licences since the publication of Taking Water Responsibly. [70183]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 17 July 2002]None. There have, though, been a few instances where the Environment Agency has reached agreement with an applicant, in the context of an application to vary a permanent licence, that the whole licence be subject to a time limit.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of how catchment abstraction management strategies will contribute to the good status requirements of the EC water framework directive. [70186]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 17 July 2002]The control of abstractions is required by the EC water framework directive as part of the programme of measures that contribute to good status requirements. Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies will provide the Environment Agency with the tools to put the necessary controls in place.
§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of when the 80 per cent. of abstraction licences held as licences of right will be transferred to time limited status in accordance with Taking Water Responsibly; and what mechanisms her Department proposes to use to make this transition. [70185]
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§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 17 July 2002]"Taking Water Responsibly" tasked the Environment Agency with developing plans, as part of its Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies (CAMS) programme, to convert existing permanent licences to time limited status on a prioritised basis, and also to consider establishing incentives in its Charges Scheme to encourage this. The first round of the agency's CAMS programme will take another seven years to be completed for the whole of England and Wales. It is intended to address the conversion of licences to time limited status as part of this process. The agency will also be consulting later this year on proposed revisions to its Charges Scheme, which are likely to include financial incentives to encourage voluntary conversion. "Taking Water Responsibly" (paragraph 7.12) acknowledged that "the process of conversion of existing licences to time limited status may be quite protracted".