Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sewage Discharges

Thursday 19 October 2023 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Labour asked about assessments of steps taken to prevent sewage discharges
  • Response stated progress and a 60 billion plan to reduce sewage discharges
  • Response mentioned letters sent to water companies and Ofwat regarding financial resilience concerns

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett
Environment
Context

The question stems from concerns about the adequacy of measures to prevent sewage discharges, a long-standing issue affecting water quality.

Question

What assessment has been made of the steps taken by her Department to prevent sewage discharges? Labour criticizes the current government's lack of action when they were in power.

Answer from Rebecca Pow

We have gone further and faster than any Government in history to drive down sewage discharges. Last month we published our £60 billion plan, which sets stringent targets to reduce sewage discharges. Those targets will prioritise action at target sites.

Answered
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Q2 Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett
Energy Environment
Context

Ofwat raised concerns about the financial resilience of several water companies, highlighting risks that need to be mitigated.

Question

Water companies require stable finances for improvements. Given Ofwat's December 2022 report outlining concerns about financial resilience, what has been done and what plans are in place to mitigate these risks?

Answer from Rebecca Pow

I have written to all the water companies that were highlighted as lagging, and I have written to the CEO and chair of Ofwat to ask how they will hold these water companies to account.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Future plans not specified

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Q3 Cherilyn Mackrory
Environment
Context

The question addresses the progress made in monitoring sewage overflows and the approach to dealing with them, questioning nationalisation as a solution.

Question

Given that only 4% of sewage overflows are monitored in Scotland, does this not indicate that the current approach is progressing correctly and that nationalising water companies is unnecessary?

Answer from Rebecca Pow

I agree with my hon. Friend.

Not addressed: Question not answered directly, agreement made without specifics

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