Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the Australian practice of using drainage nets to collect plastic and other small objects to prevent them from entering rivers and seas.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Waste water treatment in the UK is largely determined by the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations 1994. The Regulations have the objective of protecting the environment from the adverse effects of wastewater by setting minimum treatment levels supplemented by additional requirements to limit pollution from discharges. All discharges to the water environment require a permit issued by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. The Environment Agency will include the necessary conditions in water company discharge permits to limit sewage-related debris from entering rivers and seas. In the UK, rather than the Australian practice of using drainage nets, this is achieved through engineering design and the use of screens at the point of discharge to the environment.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the guidance for riparian owners published by the Environment Agency entitled Living on the Edge, what the legal basis is for the statement in that guide that there is no public right of navigation on most non-tidal watercourses.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The legal position is complex. It is the Government’s view that those seeking to navigate inland rivers for recreational purposes where there is no navigation authority should establish that they have a legal right to do so, either through voluntary agreement with riparian landowners or otherwise.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the letter of 23 March 2020 to his Department from British Marine, Broads Authority and Canal & River Trust and subsequent correspondence, what steps he is taking to allocate £20 million covid-19 funding to support waterway businesses; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focusing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as: the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; and most recently a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations.
At this stage there is no specific sector support for the waterways, although we are keeping all decisions under review. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.