Clause 87 - Control of water from coal mines
Water Bill [Lords]
9:45 am
Ms Candy Atherton (Falmouth and Camborne, Labour)
Where there is no dispute about the ownership of the land, the bill obviously would go to the owner of the land, the presumed polluter in the first place. I suspect that there would have to be some discussion among the various agencies, including local authorities, as to the final decision where the land is in dispute. That is partly the current position. The amendment is intended to be permissive and discretionary. However, it will give relevant authorities the means to tackle an important issue and to ensure that no areas such as mine are disadvantaged in comparison with the coalfields.