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Question
Why does the Secretary of State have so little pride in her own White Paper? She announced it on Monday, but there was no statement until today. The Government cancelled their business on public accountability legislation. Why?
Minister reply
I will not take lectures from the Conservative party. We have done more in 18 months than they did in 14 years. I am proud of our water White Paper.
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Question
Will the creation of a new combined, powerful water ombudsman set out in the White Paper finally give customers a route to resolve complaints quickly when companies fail to deliver?
Minister reply
The focus is on creating a single, more powerful and integrated regulator with statutory powers for a water ombudsman. This will ensure better outcomes for consumers and the environment.
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Question
Why do the Government refuse to address the failed ownership model that has allowed pollution, under-investment, and profiteering to persist for decades?
Minister reply
The solution involves a complete overhaul of regulation and regulators to protect consumers better. Mutual ownership would be legally complex and costly, so focus is on improving the status quo through new reforms.
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Question
Will the Secretary of State look at requests for clear guidance in the event of water outages including bottled water, hygiene facilities, and portaloos?
Minister reply
Commits to moving from a 'fix on failure' system to prevention, ensuring companies like Southern Water invest in infrastructure to prevent future outages.
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Question
Will the Minister work with farmers to ensure that agricultural pollution does not become another stick to beat them, given the industry's culture issues?
Minister reply
Agrees on the need for good partnerships with farmers to tackle pollution through ELM schemes while acknowledging varied leadership across water companies.
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Question
Can I thank the Minister for her statement? For my constituents, effective inspection and regulation cannot come soon enough?
Minister reply
Commits to working closely with DEFRA and regulators to address issues such as the recent water main burst in Holland Park.
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Question
Will the Minister meet Sussex MPs along the shore to address shipping company impacts on marine wildlife and water quality?
Minister reply
Commits to meeting with MPs to discuss issues related to maritime pollution affecting coastal constituencies.
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Question
After an independent inquiry, why is the Government not enforcing existing laws but instead proposing more regulation? Will the Secretary of State meet me and other water campaigners to discuss this document?
Minister reply
I am always happy to meet with hon. Friends. The Government received 50,000 responses to the Independent Water Commission and is now setting out its plans for a new regulator with greater enforcement powers. We disagree that nationalisation would solve the issue.
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Question
While welcoming some measures, he says we need to talk about ownership as privatisation has failed. Will the Secretary of State take mutualisation seriously?
Minister reply
The Government cares deeply about mutuals but does not have a fully developed plan for water sector mutualisation.
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Question
My constituents face real issues over water pressure. Can the Secretary of State reassure them that the White Paper will address these day-to-day issues? Will the regulator have teeth?
Minister reply
Yes, indeed. The new water regulator, when we can legislate for it, will look at consumer complaints and ensure companies take action.
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Question
Was the meeting with Severn Trent cancelled to avoid responsibility? Will water companies be mandated to measure sewage outflows?
Minister reply
We are determined to reduce pollution. We will increase coverage of emergency overflows and ensure a new regulator has powers to crack down on illegal use.
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Question
Residents in my constituency have been without water for days. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss this incident?
Minister reply
I am concerned about the incident described by my hon. Friend. The Water Minister or I will be happy to meet her.
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Question
Will the Secretary of State engage with Northern Ireland to share learning on sewage and waste water management?
Minister reply
We are working closely with devolved Governments. I met Andrew Muir at an inter-ministerial group meeting to discuss different sources of pollution.
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Question
Once water companies have cleaned up the mess, should they be owned by foreign nationals or hedge funds? Will she get them out of ownership?
Minister reply
We need longer-term investors like pension funds. We met Maple Eight in Toronto and discussed interest in investing in our water system.
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Question
Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss funding for the Canal and River Trust?
Minister reply
I know Whitchurch quite well. The Water Minister or I will happily meet the hon. Member to discuss that matter.
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Question
Will the new independent water ombudsman deliver swift, binding redress for consumers and be operational in time for the 2029 price review?
Minister reply
We will set up the water ombudsman through primary legislation. The ombudsman will have statutory powers to take forward consumer complaints.
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Question
Considering that section 48 of the Wales Act 2017 was delayed, can she set a timeline for when Wales will have power over water?
Minister reply
There is already a degree of devolution and we work closely with the Welsh Government. We discussed the White Paper recently and align approaches to address cross-border issues.
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Question
Will the new water ombudsman enforce prevention of hidden bonuses, ensuring infrastructure development does not end up in higher bills for customers?
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Question
How can housing growth targets be realised when dealing with a fundamentally unreliable fresh water system?
Minister reply
We do think these two objectives can be realised. However, far too many people in their 20s and 30s are denied home ownership because of the failure to build necessary homes and reservoirs. We now have plans for nine new reservoirs.
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Question
How will the Government ensure that river pollution and sewage issues are tackled, not left to volunteers?
Minister reply
The new regulator will take a more supervisory approach. We look at pre-pipe solutions to reduce rainwater and pollutants entering the system, moving towards prevention rather than fixing failures.
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Question
Why does agriculture pollution receive inadequate attention in the White Paper?
Minister reply
We are working closely with farmers and doubling funding for the Environment Agency to inspect farms. The document sets out a comprehensive plan to tackle agricultural pollution.
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Question
Will companies, shareholders or management pay for their failures rather than passing costs on to consumers?
Minister reply
This new approach establishes a more powerful regulator that has teeth and puts an end to the water companies marking their own homework.
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Question
What will the Government do about water companies evading the bonus ban?
Minister reply
We have already blocked 10 company bosses from taking £4 million-worth of bonuses and are urging them to respect both the spirit and letter of the law.
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Question
What will the Minister say about making sure all water companies work in partnership for innovative solutions?
Minister reply
We will strengthen the regional planning system, double funding for catchment partnerships, and bear down on all sources of water pollution.
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Question
Why should constituents pay for private mismanagement and why not bring water back into public ownership?
Minister reply
Embarking on nationalisation would detract from the good work being done to get a grip on regulation and set up a new regulator, which is the right answer.
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Question
Will the regulator have powers to step in when companies such as Yorkshire Water fail customers?
Minister reply
The White Paper sets out that the new regulator will have power to ensure unmanageable levels of debt are not taken on by water companies.
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Question
Will the Government accelerate plans for more clean water supply before 2050 and 2055 dates?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend has really got a grip on this and is looking at how we prepare for events such as droughts, perhaps setting up a meeting to discuss.
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Question
Will the White Paper finally clamp down on unacceptable practices by companies getting around bonus bans?
Minister reply
These companies should respect both the spirit and letter of the law. Ofwat is considering further action to ensure these companies obey the law passed last year.
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Question
What more can the Secretary of State do to ensure that my constituents are getting their money’s worth out of Thames Water?
Minister reply
Before we legislate for the new regulator, we are encouraging Ofwat to adopt a supervisory approach. Different water companies are in different situations: some perform well and others poorly. This Government has more than doubled consumer compensation in case of outages.
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Question
What steps will the Secretary of State take to address the £7.6 billion dividend payments by Yorkshire Water, rising bills, and future price increases?
Minister reply
Within days of taking office, my predecessor ringfenced money that should be invested in maintaining water infrastructure. If it is not spent on maintenance, it will go back to customers.
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Question
Does the Secretary of State agree that since we have had a Labour Government, it really has been all cisterns go on issues such as preventing sewage from pouring into rivers?
Minister reply
I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. We must look at pre-pipe solutions to reduce rainwater and pollutants entering the sewerage system in the first place.
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Question
Does the Secretary of State understand that if water companies are not statutory consultees, building more housing will simply get more sewage?
Minister reply
The Water Minister chairs a water delivery taskforce getting a grip on the investment in water assets and infrastructure. That will ensure fewer leaks and less pressure on the system.
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Question
How will proposals ensure we tackle agricultural run-off into rivers such as the River Weaver and provide swift justice?
Minister reply
The environmental improvement plan sets out a comprehensive plan to tackle agricultural pollution. We are doubling funding for the Environment Agency, increasing farm inspections and working with farmers.
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Question
How will the new regulator ensure that section 19 recommendations are taken forward to protect consumers better in future?
Minister reply
The hon. Member is right about abolishing Ofwat. We need a supervisory system giving the regulator more teeth.
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Question
How will having a new single water regulator ensure that commitments are delivered in the current price period?
Minister reply
We want to make progress before the Bill is in the House, moving towards a supervisory system with more teeth.
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Question
Will the Government look again at Liberal Democrat proposals for a new ownership model, whereby water companies are mutually owned by customers?
Minister reply
I do not have a problem with mutual ownership but the question the Liberal Democrats have to answer is how they will get there.