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Water: Regulation

Asked by Chris HinchliffLabourDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 27 May 2026UIN 2624

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to incorporate (a) ponds, (b) small lakes, (c) headwater streams and (d) other small waters into the Water Framework Directive as part of ongoing reforms to the regulatory framework for water.

Answered by Emma Hardy

We committed in the recently published Water White Paper to explore setting new ambitious targets for the water environment. As part of these explorations, we are considering a wide range of suggestions from stakeholders, including calls to monitor small water bodies and to set high ecological status objectives.

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