Written question asked by Bill Wiggin (Conservative) on Monday, 22 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 24 October 2007. It was answered by Jonathan Shaw (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 October 2007 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

British Waterways Board: Finance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to negotiate a long-term contract for the grant funding of British Waterways of (a) four years, (b) seven years and (c) another specified period of time; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: British Waterways and DEFRA are working closely together on planning for the CSR07 period. DEFRA's allocation to British Waterways will be set in the context of the Department's overall priorities and financial resources. We are looking at scenarios for different spend levels and how impacts are to be managed in the context of a new long term strategy that will deliver a network that is sustainable and affordable.DEFRA and British Waterways recognise the value of giving British Waterways more security in its long term funding so that it can be more certain in its decision making, but the Department needs to retain some flexibility over budgets within a tight CSR settlement. We will continue to consider this issue with BW, including in the context of the current review of options for BW's future status.

Secondary information