On 19 March the House of Commons debated the waste water national policy statement which I laid for approval on 9 February 2012. In the light of the satisfactory completion of that process I am pleased to announce that I am today designating it as a national policy statement under the provisions of section 5 (1) of the Planning Act 2008, and laying copies before the House as required by section 5 (9) of the same Act.

National policy statements are critical to the new planning system which will help developers bring forward, in the case of the waste water NPS, waste water projects of national significance without facing unnecessary delays, while ensuring local people have an opportunity to say about how their communities develop, and decisions are made in an accountable way by elected Ministers.

Designation of this policy statement is a significant step forward in achieving the objectives of the Planning Act, to clarify the policy framework for nationally significant infrastructure projects, while providing a degree of certainty to developers as to what waste water infrastructure of national significance is required in the future.