Water White Paper

Thérèse Coffey Excerpts
Thursday 8th December 2011

(12 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Benyon Portrait Richard Benyon
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I commend that company. I was with its chairman just the other day discussing this issue. We have to learn how water companies cope with large quantities of water in high rainfall areas, but also how we can work with them to achieve greater connectivity with other water companies. If we see water flowing from area to area, it will benefit the hon. Gentleman’s constituents through the bills that they pay and encourage water to go to the stressed areas of the south-east.

Thérèse Coffey Portrait Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con)
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The microclimate in Suffolk Coastal is quite similar to that of north Africa, and farmers are used to using irrigation in producing crops. There are also big abstractors of both river and ground water. I welcome large parts of the White Paper, but I am a little worried by recommendations 3.39 and 3.43, which I am concerned will put farmers in my constituency out of food production.