Clause 32 - Enforcement notices, and related procedures and offences
Water Bill [Lords]
4:45 pm
Mr Norman Baker (Lewes, Liberal Democrat)
I beg to move amendment No. 206, in
clause 32, page 36, line 15, leave out 'significant'.
I wanted to explore with the Minister the meaning of the word ''significant'' in the phrase
''significant damage to the environment''.
I am a little concerned that it may be an unreasonably high test for the Environment Agency to meet before enforcement action is taken. I accept that deleting the word might make it a low test that could lead to unjustified enforcement action. I could not think of anything between significant and an absence of significance, but that was the aim of the amendment. I do not want a situation to arise in which damage of a worrying nature is caused that does not trigger enforcement action.