§ Andrew SelousTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance the Government issue to drainage boards in relation to the removal of silt following the European Waste Framework Directive and the Nitrate Directive on watercourse maintenance after 2006. [140351]
§ Mr. MorleyNeither the Waste Framework Directive nor the Nitrates Directive apply to the removal of silt from watercourses. However, Waste Management Licensing Regulations (1994) control the application of dredged material to land and the Government have made use of their discretion under Article 11 of the Waste Framework Directive to provide licensing exemptions for dredgings from inland waters. Where dredgings are to be spread on agricultural land, and the land falls within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone, the requirements of the NVZ Action Programme Regulations must also be observed.