To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


View sample alert

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Water Abstraction: Licensing
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Thérèse Coffey (Conservative - Suffolk Coastal)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licences for abstraction in chalk streams have been rescinded in each year since 2010.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A total of 110 licences affecting chalk streams have been revoked since 2010. A further 158 have been varied or reduced.

The abstraction licence changes have returned over 37 billion litres of water per year to chalk catchments and prevented a further 110 billion litres per year being abstracted.

Number of abstraction licences, affecting chalk streams, that have been changed up to 30.09.23

Year

Number of licences varied or reduced

Number of licences revoked

Total

2010

7

0

7

2011

2

10

12

2012

3

0

3

2013

5

3

8

2014

14

6

20

2015

30

5

35

2016

5

0

5

2017

24

45

69

2018

43

16

59

2019

5

12

17

2020

9

5

14

2021

0

5

5

2022

1

1

2023

10

3

13

Total

158

110

268


Written Question
Water Abstraction: Licensing
Wednesday 7th February 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds data on the number of water abstraction licences that have been issued by the Environment Agency in each year since 2015.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The number of new water abstraction licences that have been issued by the Environment Agency (EA) in each year since 2015 is as follows (the data set may not be complete for December 2023):

Year

Number of abstraction licences

2015

931

2016

815

2017

931

2018

815

2019

1357

2020

1014

2021

377

2022

369

2023

536

Grand Total

7145

In addition to issuing new licences, the Environment Agency also processes applications to vary, revoke, reduce, lapse, vest, apportion and transfer abstraction licences. Under the Water Resources Regulatory Regime, as well as abstraction licences the EA also processes impoundment licence applications. In total the EA has processed 13,844 applications since 2015.

The number of water abstraction licences issued each year varies due to the number of time limited licences that are due to expire in each year. If a licence holder wants to continue to abstract water after the date the licence expires, they must apply to the EA to renew the licence.

New regulations came into effect on 1 January 2018 to improve the management of water resources and to ensure protection of the environment. Licensing exemptions that previously allowed the use of water from ground or surface water sources without the need for a licence were mostly removed. This process is known as New Authorisations. Between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022, the EA issued 1,322 New Authorisations licences. These are included in the table above.


Written Question
Water Abstraction: Teddington
Wednesday 24th January 2024

Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of (a) Thames Water and (b) local authorities in west London on Thames Water's proposed planning application for the Teddington direct river abstraction.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Thames Water has a statutory duty to consult with local authorities and water regulators on its Water Resources Management Plan, a long-term strategy for securing water supplies. The plan is further assessed by Government and water regulators before it can be finalised. The Teddington Direct River Abstraction (DRA) is part of this plan, and following robust review, the Secretary of State issued a direction on 22 December 2023 confirming the project is nationally significant.

However, this does not indicate that a Development Consent Order (DCO), which is required before construction can proceed, is more or less likely to be approved. When a DCO application is made, local authorities will have a key role in providing a local perspective on the proposals.


Written Question
Reservoirs
Tuesday 16th January 2024

Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency has taken steps to ensure reservoirs can be filled during periods of heavy rain.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Reservoir licence holders can usually start abstracting when river flows reach a ‘hands off flow’ threshold designed to protect the river during dry periods. This year has been particularly wet, so flow thresholds were reached early and most abstractors have been able to fill their reservoirs. Some water companies, however, manage their reservoirs so they can capture excess water during flood periods. They may also reduce or cease pumping during floods when water quality is poor.

Historically, agricultural reservoir licences allow abstraction during the winter months only (November to March). This is usually sufficient, but if farmers feel that they would benefit from a longer abstraction season or higher pumping rates then the EA would welcome applications to vary their licences.

During the recent floods caused by Storm Babet, the EA allowed several farmers who had made requests to fill their reservoirs early, to take water before their licenced abstraction season had started. The EA is currently working on a Regulatory Position Statement to formalise this position.

We are also taking the following measures to support the development of new reservoirs to capture high-flow water after heavy rainfall.

  1. Defra has run two rounds of funding for on-farm storage reservoirs and is currently planning a third.
  2. Government is funding a project to develop innovative Local Resource Options, like Felixstowe Hydrocycle, with a pilot planned for delivery in the spring.
  3. The EA has introduced ‘Water Abstraction e Alerts’ which helps abstractors capture high-flow water by sending them an email when thresholds are reached.

Written Question
Water Abstraction: Teddington
Tuesday 12th December 2023

Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to Thames Water's s35 application for its Teddington Direct River Abstraction proposal.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Thames Water have requested that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs gives a direction under Section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 for the Teddington Direct River Abstraction. The Secretary of State will respond to Thames Water in line with the statutory timeframe required.


Written Question
Water Abstraction: Teddington
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration was given to the River Severn transfer option during the selection process which, identifying "best value", opted for Thames Water's proposed Teddington direct river abstraction; and what role any public support for the River Severn transfer option and any social, environmental and economic benefits of restoring heritage waterways played in that consideration.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Water Resources South East (WRSE) regional group has developed a regional water resource resilience plan for the South East region of England. They have modelled around 2,400 options to meet water demand in the southeast. These comprised many different types of options, including a Severn Thames Transfer alongside reservoirs, transfers, water recycling schemes, as well as options for developing new and existing sources of water. These options were put through a rigorous options appraisal process to develop a preferred best value plan to serve people and the environment in the southeast.

Thames Water are part of WRSE and are responsible for developing their statutory Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) for their supply area, to provide the secure water supplies expected by customers. Thames Water’s WRMP is aligned with the WRSE plan and therefore proposes supply options that are best value, taking into account social, environmental and economic benefits. Thames Water have consulted on their draft WRMP, considered consultation responses and produced a statement of response (as attached).


Written Question
Water Abstraction: Teddington
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what range of impact assessments they expect Thames Water to provide regarding the consequences for local wildlife habitats arising from construction of their proposed Teddington direct river abstraction on green spaces categorised as Metropolitan Open Land, such as Ham Lands and Moormead Park in St Margaret’s.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Thames Water is required to provide further assessments through the RAPID (Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) gated planning process to ensure that all potential impacts of the Teddington direct river abstraction (DRA) scheme are assessed and investigated, including any impacts on green spaces. The design and location of elements of the scheme are still at the conceptual design stage of development. Any scheme developed will have to meet environmental and planning requirements. The suite of assessments required will depend on the final design of the scheme and nature/location of impacts which are expected to be identified through the Gate 3 planning process.

The proposed Teddington DRA is expected to take the Development Consent Order planning route, which will require an Environmental Impact Assessment of the scheme’s impacts as part of the planning process. Where possible we expect environmental enhancements to be included in the scheme design.


Written Question
Water Abstraction: Teddington
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Environment Agency report that said Thames Water had so far failed to show that the proposed Teddington direct river abstraction was "feasible or environmentally acceptable", what further assessments of impacts on habitats, biodiversity net gain and health, as well as social impacts on local communities, Thames Water will be expected to produce.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The feasibility of Teddington is considered as part of Thames Water’s statutory Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) development with specific guidelines for environmental assessment. WRMPs are also subject to Strategic Environmental Assessment. The feasibility and the environmental acceptability of Teddington is being investigated as part of the RAPID (Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) gated process and with more detailed project level environmental and social impact assessment undertaken to support planning or Development Consent Order applications, notably Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations requirements. EIA is also needed to support any applications for other regulatory consents. In all cases impacts on habitats, biodiversity net gain and health, as well as social impacts on local communities need to be considered and public consultation is required.


Written Question
Water Abstraction: Teddington
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the selection of the Teddington direct river abstraction proposal, what investigations they expect Thames Water to undertake regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the water courses in England and Wales, with particular reference to treated effluent at Mogden Sewage Treatment Works, further to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA concerning connections between women diagnosed with some hormonally driven cancers and exposure to certain PFASs in household and industrial products.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

For Teddington direct river abstraction proposal to be taken forward Thames Water will be required to obtain an abstraction licence and permit to discharge from the Environment Agency. These set out the conditions under which abstraction is authorised to take place and the standards to which the discharged effluent must be treated, ensuring it is treated to a high standard to meet environmental and human health quality standards. The Environment Agency regulates discharge permits by assessing the quality of the effluent discharged against set compliance limits. Thames Water will need to undertake any investigations necessary to meet those regulatory requirements.


Written Question
Water Abstraction: Teddington
Wednesday 25th October 2023

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps the Environment Agency and Ofwat will take following the Teddington direct river abstraction proposal to ensure that Thames Water meets its obligations, given its Strategic Environmental Assessment directive and failure to present an environmental report or to allow the public an opportunity effectively to express their opinion about it.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Proposals for Teddington direct river abstraction need to follow the statutory Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) process, which includes the requirement for a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Thames Water published its draft WRMP in December 2022 with a 12-week public consultation period. Thames Water received 80 representations specific to Teddington from stakeholders and the public. The company has recently published a statement of response outlining how it plans to address the points raised.

The feasibility of Teddington is also being investigated in more detail as part of a London Reuse strategic resource option (SRO). The investigation into the feasibility of this SRO along with another 17 across the country is managed by RAPID (Regulators Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) which is a partnership that is made up of the three water regulators Ofwat, Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate. The investigation process is split into ‘gates’ and at each gate the SRO is required to publish evidence based Environmental Assessment Reports. London Reuse published its Gate 2 reports in winter 22/23 allowing a 6-week window for public consultation.