Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Water Quality

Thursday 9 December 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The government has introduced the Environment Act 2021 to improve water quality by tackling storm overflows
  • The Environment Act 2021 includes duties on water companies to reduce harm from storm overflows
  • Ofwat's new draft strategic policy statement prioritizes reducing storm overflows and delivering environmental outcomes

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Danny Kruger Reform East Wiltshire
Environment
Context

The question follows a government initiative to address storm overflows and water quality issues.

Question

What steps he is taking to improve water quality. The government has introduced the Environment Act 2021 which includes measures to tackle storm overflows, but further actions are requested regarding specific commitments and progress on these initiatives.

Answer from George Eustice

Improving water quality is a priority. The Environment Act 2021 includes measures to tackle storm overflows, including duties on water companies to achieve significant reductions in harm from these events.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps and timelines for reducing storm overflows are not provided.

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Q2 Danny Kruger Reform East Wiltshire
Energy Environment
Context

The question follows a government review of Ofwat's mandate and the need for water companies to invest in both grey concrete and green nature recovery infrastructure.

Question

Will the Secretary of State confirm that Ofwat will be directed to ensure water companies have sufficient funding to make necessary investments in grey and green infrastructure, particularly regarding storm overflows and environmental outcomes. The government is reviewing Ofwat's mandate.

Answer from George Eustice

The new draft strategic policy statement prioritizes reducing storm overflows and delivering environmental outcomes. In the next price review, such infrastructure investments will be a top priority.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific funding commitments for water companies are not confirmed.

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