Oral Answers to Questions

Mike Wood Excerpts
Thursday 18th June 2015

(8 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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George Eustice Portrait George Eustice
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The hon. Lady knows that that information is commercially sensitive, but what I can say is that two applications are being considered by the Health and Safety Executive, and before any decision is taken we would take the advice of our expert committee on pesticides.

Mike Wood Portrait Mike Wood (Dudley South) (Con)
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T5. The black country’s canal network is an important part of our industrial heritage, supports a variety of wildlife and hosts many leisure facilities. Will the Minister update the House on what is being done to clean up our inland waterways?

Rory Stewart Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rory Stewart)
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I could not agree more strongly with my hon. Friend on the importance of waterways. Nearly 10,000 miles of rivers and internal waterways have been cleaned up; phosphate pollution is down by one fifth and ammonia down by one sixth; and water companies will be investing £3.5 billion over the next five years in improving our water quality.