Summary and Background
3.The Water Act will enable the Government to implement proposals set out in Water for Life Cm 8230 (the “Water White Paper”) published by the Government on 8 December 2011. The Bill was published in draft (Cm 8375) on 10 July 2012 for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. Their report was published on 1 February 2013 (HC 674) and the Government’s response (Cm 8643) was published on 27 June alongside the Bill.
4.In the main, the Act amends the Water Industry Act 1991 (“the WIA”), but also introduces changes to other legislation. The Act consists of six Parts, 95 sections and 12 Schedules. Below is a brief summary.