Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Water Sector Reform: Consultation

Thursday 8 May 2025 · 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 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Emma Lewell (South Shields) (Lab) raised concerns about sewage dumping and water pollution issues in South Shields.
  • Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab) questioned how the 2025 Act would provide the Environment Agency with the necessary powers to regulate and hold polluting companies accountable.
  • The response acknowledged previous cuts to the Environment Agency's resources under the previous government and highlighted new powers to recover prosecution costs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Energy Environment
Context

South Shields has faced significant water pollution issues, including sewage being dumped in the sea at Whitburn. Little Haven beach recently received a brown flag indicating poor water quality.

Question

I echo the Secretary of State’s initial comments. South Shields has a long-standing problem with sewage being dumped in the sea at Whitburn. Just this week, Little Haven beach was handed a brown flag, and myself and local campaigners are completely fed up. The Environment Agency, Ofwat, Northumbrian Water, the council and the last Government all completely ignored our concerns. We have already requested a meeting with the Water Minister, and I hope she will confirm today that the meeting will happen very soon.

Answer from The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Steve Reed)

I congratulate my hon. Friend on her tireless work to represent the concerns of people in South Shields about those terrible problems with water pollution. Of course, my hon. Friend voted for the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which has given the regulator many more powers, including the power to ban undeserved multimillion-pound bonuses. I am sure she will be interested to read, as will I, the findings from the Independent Water Commission led by Sir Jon Cunliffe when they come forward in a few weeks’ time.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Confirmation of meeting with the Water Minister

How: Voted For Legislation, Interested To Read Findings

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Q2 Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett
Environment
Context

The Environment Agency's resources were significantly reduced under the previous government, affecting its ability to regulate water pollution.

Question

As we act to protect our rivers and waterways from pollution, regulation will be important. The Environment Agency’s resources were decimated under the Conservatives. How will the 2025 Act give the Environment Agency the powers it needs to hold polluting companies to account?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Steve Reed)

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The previous Government cut resources for regulation in half, and that is one of the ways water companies were able to get away with so much pollution. We have changed the law to allow regulators to recover prosecution costs so that they can carry out further prosecutions and stop those who have been polluting our waterways.

Answered
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