CONSULTATION ON ENVIRONMENT AGENCY CHARGING PROPOSALS FROM 2014

DEADLINE FOR RESPONSE: 20 DECEMBER 2013

CONSULTATION ON ENVIRONMENT AGENCY CHARGING PROPOSALS FROM 2014  

We invite you to comment on our charging proposals for 2014.

Abstraction Charges

   The licensing of ‘New Authorisations’ (currently exempt abstractions) is a requirement under changes made to the Water Resources Act 1991 by the Water Act 2003. When the regulations come into effect in April 2014 we will be required to licence previously exempt abstractions (‘New Authorisations’) resulting in an estimated 5,000 additional licence applications over the following 2 years. Currently these applications will attract only the £135 application charge and no ongoing subsistence charge.

This presents a new, largely unfunded workload and therefore to help address this we propose one of the following options:

·                to introduce a new abstraction application charge of £1,500 for those permits where there is no requirement to pay ongoing subsistence charges, or

·                to charge subsistence for all transfer licences in addition to the current application charge of £135.

Both of these options would take effect from 1 April 2014.

 This consultation is in line with the government’s revised consultation principles and will run for 12 weeks from 27 September until 20 December 2013. All responses must be received by 20 December 2013.

The consultation documents and its annexes are available to download online – please copy and paste the following link to your browser:

https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/finance/charges2014/charges2014

Please contact us on 01179 345093 for a printed version of the consultation document.

We would prefer you to respond online. However, if you would rather respond by post, please send it to:

Alan Day
Charges Programme Manager                                   
Environment Agency
Horizon House, Deanery Road
Bristol. BS1 5AH
Or email your response by the closing date, using the response form, to:

eacharges_consultations@environment-agency.gov.uk.

After the consultation, we will review all responses before presenting our final proposals to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. They will consult with other government departments, before a final decision is made. For EU ETS charges we will require the approval of the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

You can also find more information about our charges and charging schemes by accessing:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/regulation/31853.aspx

I look forward to receiving your response.

MARK McLAUGHLIN
Director of Finance