Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Water Sector Commission

Thursday 14 November 2024 · 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

  • The independent commission on the water sector regulatory system was launched on 23 October and will be chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe.
  • The commission will focus on boosting investability, speeding up delivery of water infrastructure, and cleaning waterways.
  • The Secretary of State stated they will look at what more can be done through social tariffs to support families at risk of being unable to pay future water bills.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Polly Billington Lab East Thanet
Energy Environment
Context

The independent commission on the water sector was launched to review and strengthen regulation in the industry since privatisation.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the independent commission on the water sector regulatory system strengthens regulation. The commission focuses on boosting investability, speeding up delivery of water infrastructure and cleaning waterways.

Answer from Steve Reed

The independent commission on the water sector was launched on 23 October and will be chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe. It is the biggest review of the industry since privatisation and will report next summer. It focuses on boosting investability, speeding up delivery of water infrastructure and cleaning waterways.

Answered
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Q2 Polly Billington Lab East Thanet
Energy Environment
Context

Southern Water has been criticised for polluting beaches with raw sewage, planning to increase household bills by 73% over the next five years, and executives receiving £4 million in bonuses and salaries.

Question

Will the new independent commission do something about this egregious situation where Southern Water is responsible for blighting beaches with raw sewage along Ramsgate, Margate and Broadstairs, plans on increasing household bills by 73% over the next five years, and the chief executive officers of Southern Water have received £4 million over the last five years in bonuses and salaries?

Answer from Steve Reed

I congratulate my hon. Friend on campaigning for her local water consumers. She is right to point to the wide failings across the system. We have charged Sir Jon Cunliffe with leading a commission that will look at how we can completely reset the sector—regulation, governance and how the sector operates—so that the levels of pollution and failure under the previous Government can never be repeated.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions to address Southern Water's issues were not detailed.

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Q3 Rebecca Smith Con South West Devon
Energy Environment
Context

In 2013, the previous Government introduced a £50 per household water bill rebate for customers in the far south-west. The decision to scrap this rebate was announced before the recess.

Question

With 3% of the country's population paying to keep a third of our bathing beaches clean on lower-than-average salaries, will the Secretary of State please reconsider the decision to scrap that rebate for constituents such as mine?

Answer from Steve Reed

It is important that support is targeted at the most vulnerable, so we will look at what more can be done through social tariffs to support families who are at risk of being unable to pay future water bills. It is right that we prioritise the poorest.

Not addressed: The specific rebate for constituents was not addressed.

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