§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the accessibility of the UK's waterways to canoeists. [40706]
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§ Alun MichaelThe research report "Water-Based Sport and Recreation: the facts", published in December 2001, found that the lengths of water for canoeing on canals, rivers with public navigation rights and rivers with formal access agreement total 5,490 km. This amounts to 27 per cent. of the major river and canal network or 6 per cent. of the major and minor river and canal network.
DEFRA officials are currently discussing the report with other Government Departments and agencies. Following those discussions, I shall consider what further work or action is needed in the light of the report's findings.