Written question asked by Lord Dykes (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Davies of Oldham (Labour) on Monday, 15 March 2010.

Waterways: Ecology Status Targets

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expect all inland, coastal and estuary waters to meet the ecological standard set by the European Union Water Framework Directive (2000/60 EC) by 2015.

Answer: The Secretary of State approved the river basin management plans for England and Wales for publication on 22 December 2009. The plans set out the actions needed to meet the requirements of the water framework directive. The current plans will ensure that 33 per cent of all water bodies achieve good ecological status by 2015. The Environment Agency and other co-deliverers are investigating the use of alternative objectives in planning for cycles 2 and 3 of the river basin management plans to ensure that the water framework directive objectives are achieved by 2027.

Secondary information