Notice: WM Bracey Limited: application made to abstract water

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for the abstraction and impoundment of water.

These notices explain:

  • what the application is about
  • which Environment Agency offices you can visit to see the application documents on the public register
  • when you need to comment by



Official Statistics: Butterflies of the wider countryside, UK trends to 2016

Updated: Publication date amended. This publication is being delayed for statistical reasons.

Statistics comprise UK population trends of two groups of butterfly, those strongly associated with semi-natural habitats (habitat specialists), and those found in the wider countryside. Trends are based on results of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS), and feed into the UK Biodiversity Indicators.

The UKBMS is run by Butterfly Conservation, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and the British Trust for Ornithology, in partnership with a consortium of government agencies. The UKBMS is indebted to all volunteers who contribute data to the scheme.




National Statistics: Timber price indices: data to March 2017

This release is published twice a year and comprises two price indices, the Coniferous Standing Sales Price Index and the Softwood Sawlog Price Index. Both indices are based on sales of softwood (conifers) and cover sales in England and Scotland by the Forestry Commission, and sales in Wales by Natural Resources Wales.




Official Statistics: Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire: Provisional 2016 data

This release contains the data on UK wood production, imports and exports to be submitted to international organisations for the production of international statistics on forest products.




News story: Review of legislation update

The SSRO has sent an update to consultation respondents on its review of the regulatory framework.

The regulatory framework for single source defence contracts came fully into effect in December 2014. It controls the prices of qualifying contracts and requires transparency on the part of defence contractors regarding their prices and capacity to continue to meet government requirements.

The Secretary of State is required to complete periodic reviews of the framework, with the first review to be completed by December 2017. The SSRO’s functions include keeping the operation of the framework under review and making such recommendations for change to the Secretary of State as it considers appropriate. In carrying out a review, the Secretary of State must have regard to any recommendations made by the SSRO, provided these are submitted six months before the date on which the review is to be completed. This means that the SSRO has to make recommendations in June 2017 in order to meet the statutory deadline.

On 30 January 2017 the SSRO published a consultation which proposed a number of recommendations for the first review of the regulatory framework for single source defence contracts. The SSRO has focused its proposed recommendations for change on three key areas: ensuring that single source spending is appropriately covered by the regime; enhancing transparency; and providing effective enforcement of the regime. As part of our consultation, the SSRO also held meetings and workshops with key stakeholders.

Before reaching our final conclusions and publishing our recommendations in June 2017, the SSRO has today sent to consultation respondents an update on its review of the regulatory framework, outlining the feedback we have received from stakeholders and the progress made since the consultation closed on 24 March 2017.