Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 8 May (HL7364), whether water companies are required to operate phosphate removal plants.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
There is no automatic requirement for water companies to provide and operate specific phosphorus removal treatment at sewage treatment works.
The requirement for such treatment depends on the environmental legislation and standards that apply to the receiving water into which a sewage treatment work discharges. Where a receiving water is a designated sensitive area (eutrophic) under the urban waste water treatment regulations, sewage treatment works of a particular size will require the provision of phosphorus removal treatment to meet standards set out in the regulations. Alternatively, where environmental standards in the receiving water are not achieved to meet the Water Framework Directive regulations and conservation requirements, phosphorus removal treatment may be required at a sewage treatment work.
The requirements for treatment and the limits to be achieved are set out in the environmental permit to discharge for each sewage treatment work which is issued and regulated by the Environment Agency in England.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether water companies are required to operate phosphate removal plants in areas where there are high levels of phosphorus run-off; and what proportion of water supply facilities in such areas have operational phosphate removal plants.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Phosphorus inputs to English rivers and lakes are mainly from sewage effluent, including contributions from food and detergents and drainage from agricultural land. Dramatic reductions from very elevated river phosphorus concentrations in the 1980 and 1990s have been achieved in recent decades through reduced detergent phosphorous contributions, the introduction of phosphorus reduction treatment at sewage treatment works, and falling fertiliser use and livestock numbers. Despite this, phosphorus is the most common reason for English rivers not achieving Good Ecological Status under the Water Framework Directive Regulations.
Between 1995 and 2015 the phosphorus loading from water company sewage treatment works to rivers reduced by about 60%. By 2017 almost 700 sewage treatment works had treatment in place to reduce phosphorus loadings. This equates to some 25 million population equivalent, or just over 60% of the population served by sewage treatment works which discharge to rivers.
Even after these reductions, sewage treatment works remain the largest source of phosphorus entering rivers nationally, and further improvement works are being planned and implemented by water companies to meet Water Framework Directive Regulations.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 December 2016 (HL4156), whether the Environment Agency intends to support the removal by Network Rail of the three weirs on the river Exe above Exeter to reduce the risk of flooding on the rail line.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Environment Agency (EA) has been aiding Network Rail and their consultants on producing a flood and geomorphology risk assessment on the proposal to remove the three weirs near Cowley Bridge.
The EA has provided all the local flood history, river flow and river state data that it has, and the required specification and scenarios that any modelling results must produce.
Once this report is submitted, the EA will assess the impact on third parties and the environment in terms of flood risk and environmental impacts. The EA will also assess the impact, if any, on the new flood defence scheme currently being built in Exeter.
The EA recently issued flood risk activity permits for the Network Rail improvement to the flood culvert under the railway upstream of Cowley Bridge. The culvert works are expected to be completed during summer 2018 and will reduce flood risk to the railway.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what restrictions or changes to air and sea transport services are required on any operation within the Special Protection Area of the Isles of Scilly.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK has a long history of environmental protection and we will safeguard and improve on this record. The Isles of Scilly Special Protection Area (SPA) was classified in 2001 under the EU Wild Birds Directive. Natural England is preparing advice to government on a proposed extension to the existing SPA and the addition of new features.
Any plans or projects that are likely to have a significant effect on a SPA are subject to a Habitats Regulations Assessment by the relevant competent authorities in order to make sure that any potential impacts are avoided or mitigated. Where such impacts cannot be ruled out, planning proposals may nevertheless be approved provided certain tests are met: no feasible alternatives; imperative reasons of overriding public interest; and compensatory measures secured.
Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what, in 2016–17, were the remuneration packages, including bonuses, of the top three executive directors of Tideway; and what assessment they have made of that remuneration given that the Thames Tideway Tunnel will not be completed, and available to deliver a service, for another six to seven years.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The remuneration packages of the top three executives of Tideway are publically available in Tideway’s annual report for 2016/17, which is published on their website. As a private company, Tideway is responsible for setting its own remuneration policy that is approved by its shareholders in the normal way, and which does not impede it from carrying out its functions under the terms of its project licence. Remuneration is directly related to the delivery of the project, and forms part of the costs reflected in the company’s Regulated Capital Value regulated by Ofwat. A key element of Ofwat’s regulatory remit is to ensure that the revenue charges made by Tideway via Thames Water to customers are fair. Tideway is also incentivised through the terms of its project licence, regulated by Ofwat, and the Government Support Package to deliver the project on time and to budget.