British Waterways: Regulatory Reform Order

A draft Regulatory Reform Order to amend the statutory powers of British Waterways, increasing its ability to supply water services and clarifying its borrowing powers, has been laid in Parliament for initial scrutiny by the Regulatory Reform Committee in the Commons and the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee in the Lords.

British Waterways has existing powers to extract and sell raw water from its waterways to water undertakers, industry and agriculture. The Order will give it the powers to participate in Watergrid, a Public Private Partnership that will develop its existing water sales business to supply treated water to customers' own specification.

The proposals for new powers went out for consultation between 15 May and 16 August 2002. Forty four responses were received and these are recorded, together with the Minister's response, in the Explanatory Document supporting the Order.

The Committees have 60 days in which to report. The Minister will then consider their reports and any other representations before tabling the draft Order, amended as necessary for a final scrutiny period of no more than 15 sitting days.

The documents are available as follows:

• Draft Regulatory Reform Order (15kb)
• Explanatory Document (including analysis of responses) (850kb)

Further information is available on our Help page about downloading or reading Adobe Acrobat documents.