Received 28th October 2021 and reproduced in full without amendment
Dear Phil, There has been much misunderstanding and controversy concerning the Environment Bill as it passes through Parliament. To be clear: the Bill strengthens controls on sewage outfalls – not weakens it. But had the amendment stopping all sewage outfalls been passed, it would have resulted in the dangerous discharge of sewage into our streets at times of high rainfall and would have landed customers with unsustainably high water bills. The amendment proposed by a back bench hereditary Peer had just not been thought through. The Government has now agreed a form of words that meets the objective that the Amendment was seeking but it worded in a more workable form. I should stress that the legislative process of a complex Bill does mean the MPs vote on numerous occasions, not for or against sewage, but to find a form of words that make the Bill workable and successful in the objective of cleaning up our rivers and seashore.
The Environment Bill is landmark legislation that will clean up our rivers and seashore and make a massive environmental difference to my constituents in Poole and I am proud of my Government’s record in pursuing these objectives.
Wednesday - 22:00 GMT: Light Rain Showers, 5°C (42°F) Wednesday - 22:00 GMT: Light Rain Showers, 5°C (42°F) Temperature: 5°C (42°F), Wind Direction: Westerly, Wind Speed: 13mph, Humidity: 81%, Pressure: 1000mb, Rising, Visibility: Good