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Beaches: EU Law

Volume 469: debated on Monday 10 December 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on improvements to sewerage infrastructure to improve bathing water quality in each of the last seven years. (170431)

Between 2000 and 2005, Ofwat collected data on costs for the improvements to continuous discharges (improvement to the processes at sewage treatment works themselves); under the bathing water directive. From 2005 to 2010, Ofwat is collecting the data on costs incurred to improve intermittent discharges, such as combined sewer overflows, as well as the continuous discharges that have been, and will be, improved under the bathing water directive.

This information is displayed in the following table.

£ million

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

Total by 2006-07

Capex: Continuous discharges—bathing water directive

11.1

27.9

52.3

21.5

12.8

Opex: Continuous discharges—bathing water directive

0.9

1.3

2.1

3.3

4.3

Capex: Continuous and intermittent discharges—bathing water directive

8.8

2.8

Opex: Continuous and intermittent discharges—bathing water directive

0.1

0.11

Total

12.0

29.2

54.4

24.8

17.1

8.8

2.9

1149.04

1The totals may not equal the sum of the figure shown due to rounding.

Notes:

1. All costs are displayed in 2006-07 price base inflated by retail price index.

2. Capex = capital expenditure; Opex = operating expenditure.

3. Recurring opex incurred as a result of improvements in 2000-05, will have been transferred to base service at the last periodic review.

4. All costs displayed are in £ millions and in 2006-07 prices.

5. The data shown are additional costs incurred over and above the maintenance of the assets.