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Flood and Water Management Bill

I stand corrected and apologise to the House. I have done what my wife often does—she forgets to add a nought. My reservoir stores what would otherwise be run-off. I have long argued that there is no shortage of water; there is a massive shortage of conservation. Agriculture is a significant issue as it will be required to increase productivity. The demographic problems that we face globally will inevitably mean that we must maximise agricultural output, and irrigation will play an increasingly significant role. The last thing we need is a system that might prove to be a disincentive towards the construction of irrigation reservoirs. I agree absolutely that an inadequately constructed reservoir in a narrow hill valley in South Wales is a danger to the communities below. That was the reason for some of the original reservoir legislation passed in the 1930s. My own reservoir was subject to that legislation and it will now be subject to this Bill. We need these reservoirs but there is a world of difference between a reservoir in a hill valley and one in a flat arable area. If my reservoir were to flood, which I do not think it will, the only person who would be affected is me. It would certainly flood my field. There is a level of risk. I note that the Bill provides power for the Minister to make regulations and to give guidance, which is an area that we will have to probe at later stages to ensure that it is clear how we define risk.