Fourth Report - Water quality in rivers
Select Committee
Environmental Audit Committee
HC 74
13 January 2022
Government Response (AI assessment · 82 of 82 classified)
Accepted
22
Acknowledged
29
Deferred
11
Rejected
3
Government response
First Special Report - Water quality in rivers: Government Response to the Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2021–22 · published 16 May 2022
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
59
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Para 289
We recommend that National Highways devote a greater proportion of its environmental budget to the...
Recommendation
We recommend that National Highways devote a greater proportion of its environmental budget to the mitigation of outfalls and set a target of eliminating pollution from those outfalls most at risk by 2030, in line with the Government’s commitments to …
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Government Response Summary
National Highways agrees to set out its plans for how high-risk outfalls could be mitigated by 2030 by the end of the 2022/23 financial year, but cannot commit to performance requirements and funding at this time due to the ongoing development of the 3rd Road Investment Strategy.
69
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Para 348
The value of biodiversity in rivers in England does not appear to have been priced...
Recommendation
The value of biodiversity in rivers in England does not appear to have been priced adequately into the economic decisions made by companies and by regulatory agencies. If it is to meet the Environment Act’s legally binding target to halt …
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Government Response Summary
The government supports the use of natural capital in decision making and accepts that Ofwat should take natural capital into account. They state that Natural capital was included in the 2017 Strategic Policy Statement and Ofwat continues to incorporate natural capital into their regulatory framework, and will continue to work towards this approach.
73
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Para 352
We recommend that the level of financial support provided to the Environment Agency be reviewed...
Recommendation
We recommend that the level of financial support provided to the Environment Agency be reviewed as a matter of urgency in the light of its new statutory responsibilities and the scale of the regulatory task it faces, recognising its continued …
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Government Response Summary
The government has reviewed the Environment Agency's budget, significantly increasing funding for inspections, enforcement, and monitoring. However, it does not explicitly commit to reviewing the environmental permitting charging scheme provisions to ensure charges accurately reflect costs.