Consultation on proposals for time limiting of water abstraction licences

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Area 2C
Ergon House
London
SW1P 2AL
Email: consultation.tll@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Welsh Assembly Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Email: water.consultations@wales.gsi.gov.uk
12 May 2009
Dear Consultee,

Consultation on proposals for time limiting of water abstraction licences

1. I am writing to invite views on proposals for time limiting of water abstraction licences.  The time limiting of existing abstraction licences is vital in ensuring water resources can be managed and allocated efficiently, in order to cope with the anticipated impacts of climate change and achieve water quality objectives set out in the Government’s 2008 water strategy Future Water.

2. Under current legislation, all new licences are issued with time limits and voluntary conversion of existing licences to time limited status is encouraged.  Despite this, only 20 per cent of all licences are time limited, whilst the remainder of licences holders can continue to take water for an unlimited time unless their licence is revoked. 

3. By increasing the number of time limited licences, the proposed change would give the Environment Agency, the regulatory body for abstraction licences, the power to change volumes and conditions on new and existing licences.  Without the proposed changes, the EA would be unable to respond effectively to Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS) reviews, which indicate water resources availability within catchments and environmental harm relating to water abstraction.

4. The purpose of this consultation paper is to set out Defra’s proposals for time limiting existing water abstraction licences.

5. The following documents may be found on Defra’s website: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/water-abstraction/index.htm

  • Consultation document (incorporating Annex B)
  • Impact Assessment

6. We welcome your views and comments on the proposals.

Responses

7. Please send responses to either:

email  consultation.tll@defra.gsi.gov.uk

or post
Sujata Sinha
Defra
 Area 2C
Ergon House
Horseferry Road
London SW1P 2AL 

8. Respondents representing Welsh interests or operating in Wales should send their responses to the following email or postal address and also copy their response to Defra:

email to: water.consultations@wales.gsi.gov.uk

or post
Olwen Minney
Water Management Team
Climate Change and Water Division
Welsh Assembly Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

9. Responses should be received by 4 August 2009.

Consultation Criteria

10. This consultation is in line with the Code of practice on Consultations. This can be found at:  www.berr.gov.uk/bre/

11. When this consultation ends, we intend to put a copy of the responses in the Defra library at Ergon House, London. This is so that the public can see them.  Also, members of the public may ask for a copy of responses under the freedom of information legislation.

12. If you do not want your response - including your name, contact details and any other personal information – to be publicly available, please say so clearly in writing when you send your response to the consultation.  Please note, if your computer automatically includes a confidentiality disclaimer, that won’t count as a confidentiality request.

13. Please explain why you need to keep details confidential.  We will take your reasons into account if someone asks for this information under the freedom of information legislation. But, because of the law, we cannot promise that we will always be able to keep those details confidential. 

14. We will summarise all responses and place this summary on our website at www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/water-abstraction/index.htm. This summary will include a list of names of organisations that responded but not people’s personal names, addresses or other contact details.

15. To see consultation responses and summaries, please contact the library at:

Defra
Information Resource Centre
Lower Ground Floor
Ergon House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
Telephone: 020 7238 6575
Email: defra.library@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Welsh Assembly Government Publications Centre
Cathays Park
Cardiff CF10 3NQ
Telephone: 029 2082 3683
Email: assembly-publications@wales.gsi.gov.uk

16. Please give the library 24 hours’ notice. There is a charge for photocopying and postage.

17. If you have any comments or complaints about the consultation process, please address them to Marjorie Addo, Defra’s Consultation Co-ordinator, Area 7C Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR, or e-mail consultation.coordinator@defra.gsi.gov.uk

18. Thank you for your help in this matter. If you have any queries please contact us as above.

 

Yours faithfully,

Sujata Sinha
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Olwen Minney
Welsh Assembly Government

Page published: 12 May 2009