§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has received concerning the projected costs of implementing the EU Water Framework Directive in the UK; and if she will make a statement. [43602]
§ Mr. MeacherA preliminary assessment of the costs and benefits of implementing the directive was set out in the first consultation paper issued jointly by the then Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the National Assembly for Wales. The study estimated total costs for England and Wales in the range of £2 billion to £9.2 billion; benefits in the range of £1.6 billion to £6.2 billion. A copy of the paper is in the House Library.
A number of respondents to the consultation paper indicated that they had concerns about the cost to their industries of implementing the directive. A large majority of those raising concerns were from the farming industry.
A summary report of responses to the first consultation paper will be published as part of a second consultation paper on implementation of the directive later this year. Individual responses will also be available for inspection.
Implementation of the directive in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and with respect to the devolved functions in Wales, are matters for the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The Government and the National Assembly for Wales are working jointly to implement the directive in England and Wales. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, implementation of the directive is being managed wholly by the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Executive.