Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Water Quality

Thursday 10 March 2022 · 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Barry Sheerman questioned the government on steps to improve water quality.
  • The government responded with plans to reduce storm sewage overflows through the Environment Act.
  • Increased funding for catchment farming advisers has nearly doubled under the current government.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Barry Sheerman Lab
Agriculture & Rural Affairs Environment
Context

The question arises from the need for concrete steps to enhance water quality.

Question

What steps he is taking to improve water quality. The government's warm words are not sufficient; constituents require action on clean water issues, particularly in relation to storm sewage overflows and pollution measurements by the Environment Agency.

Answer from Rebecca Pow

We are the first Government to set out our expectation that water companies must reduce storm sewage overflows, and our Environment Act includes a raft of powers to support that expectation. We have almost doubled the funding available for our catchment farming advisers and have taken action to ban microbeads and microplastics in personal care products. We are currently seeking views on further actions we could take in relation to wet wipes, and will shortly be setting targets under the Environment Act to further improve water quality and drive action in the coming years.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner asked for specific steps beyond warm words, but the response was largely about past actions without addressing current issues or future commitments directly.

How: We Are The First Government To Set Out Our Expectation

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Q2 Barry Sheerman Lab
Agriculture & Rural Affairs Environment
Context

The question arises from concerns about the impact of funding cuts on the Environment Agency's ability to measure water pollution accurately, leading to no safe rivers for swimming.

Question

The Secretary of State and his team are a very nice bunch of people, and we have heard a lot of warm words this morning, but what my constituents want is action on clean water. My constituents want clean air and clean water. I spoke to Thames Water yesterday. Leading academics from the University of Reading tell us that the cuts to the Environment Agency mean that the agency is no longer measuring how much pollution is in our rivers. That is a shameful fact. Not one river in our country is safe to swim in—that is the truth. What is the Minister going to do about it?

Answer from Rebecca Pow

Action is happening on this side of the House, and if the hon. Gentleman followed it, he would know exactly how much we are doing. Through our Environment Act, we have taken a game-changing move to cut down on the harm caused by storm sewage overflows. Your party, in fairness, never did any of these things.

Not addressed: The questioner asked for specific steps regarding funding cuts and pollution measurements but was met with general statements about past actions and criticisms of the opposition party.

How: Your Party, In Fairness, Never Did Any Of These Things

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