Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of rivers in England and Wales meeting the 2027 EU Water Framework Directive deadline for good ecological status; and if he will make a statement.

Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive within the UK is a devolved matter.

Updated River Basin Management Plans published in 2016 provide the framework for protecting and improving the water environment, and focus on the improvements for the period 2016 to 2021. The plans for England confirm over £3billion of investment by 2021, leading to improvements in at least 680 water bodies, including an overall target to enhance at least 8000 km of waters by 2021. The plans will be reviewed and updated in 2021 taking account of progress that has been made and the best evidence then on what can be achieved by 2027.