Clause 19 - Protected rights
Water Bill [Lords]
11:00 am
Mr Elliot Morley (Minister of State (Environment and Agri-Environment), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Scunthorpe, Labour)
I understand the hon. Gentleman's points about time limiting and his logic about the six-year period. This is another arbitrary decision on a time scale. He will know that some organisations want a shorter period, while others want a longer one. However, we think that the four-year period reflects the needs of the situation better.