ENVIRONMENT AGENCY WELCOMES NAO WATER FINDINGS

17/06/2005 - The Environment Agency has welcomed the conclusion of the National Audit Office (NAO) that the Agency provides a well-managed and professional water resources service in England. The findings are published today (Friday) in the NAO report Environment Agency: Efficiency in water resource management. The Agency said it would be following up assiduously those areas where the NAO recommended there may be scope for delivering further cost savings.
The Environment Agency's Chief Executive Barbara Young said:

"We are pleased that the NAO found our service to be professional and well managed. We nevertheless recognise the need for continuous improvement and we will follow up those areas where the NAO identifies some scope for efficiency and cost savings.

"Most of the NAO's recommendations relate to re-allocation of costs. This will benefit water abstraction licence payers, but resources will still need to be found to fund the balance attributed to other areas of work, such as flood risk management.

"A number of actions recommended in the NAO report are already underway through our Modernising Water Resources Regulation programme. This programme includes changes to our abstraction licensing system that will achieve savings of up to £1 million per year to licence payers.”

A copy of the report Environment Agency: Efficiency in water resource management can be found on the NAO's website (see link)