Clause 42 - Main rivers in England and Wales

Part of Water Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 4:00 pm on 10 December 2013.

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Photo of Dan Rogerson Dan Rogerson The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 4:00, 10 December 2013

Clause 42 replaces a number of sections of the Water Resources Act 1991 that make specific provisions for England and Wales. It transfers responsibility for maintaining the main river map for England from the Secretary of State to the Environment Agency, and for Wales from Welsh Ministers to Natural Resources Wales. That reflects the already major role of those  organisations in maintaining and updating the maps. They will be required to consult on proposals to change the status of a river from an ordinary watercourse to a main river, or vice versa, and there will be a right of appeal to the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers to ensure a transparent and fair process.

To reflect the increased use of geographical information systems and the ease of information transfer that such systems offer, clause 42 changes the requirements for a paper definitive map to an electronic one. Flood risk management authorities and navigation authorities will be entitled to free copies of the map relevant to their area or district. I commend clause 42 to the Committee.