Rivers

Mr. Ancram
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department and its agencies have spent on the restoration of riverbeds in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies
In the past three years the Environment Agency has spent the following on projects that delivered a substantial element of riverbed restoration:

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|       |£ million|
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|2006-07|0.819    |
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|2007-08|1.026    |
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|2008-09|1.176    |
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River restoration schemes typically encompass several related activities such as the placement of spawning gravels, removal of debris, tree planting, bank protection and enhancement works, etc.