Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that water customers have access to (a) impartial and (b) independent avenues of redress.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has already committed to a number of Sir Jon Cunliffe’s recommendations as set out in the Independent Water Commission’s final report.
As announced by the Environment Secretary on 21 July 2025, water customers will have more support than ever before. The Government will create a new statutory water ombudsman with the power to protect customers in disputes with their water company - a single, free service to help customers resolve complaints.
It will build on the Consumer Council for Water’s current role and bring dispute resolution processes for water in line with other sectors. These new measures will build on our reforms to more than double automatic payments to customers when water companies fail to deliver adequate standards of service, and to ensure customers are at the heart of water company purpose and regulation.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered using external bodies with (a) forensic accounting and (b) corporate fraud expertise to support investigations into alleged (i) deliberate misreporting and (ii) illegal pollution by water companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is the enforcement body responsible for investigating illegal pollution and misreporting by water companies.
The EA has concluded 83 prosecutions since 2015, securing record fines of over £150 million against water companies. Furthermore, the EA have increased water company inspections to 10,000 per year from April 2025 as part of the government’s wider focus to hold companies to account and improve our water environment.
The Water (Special Measures) Act provides the most significant increase in enforcement powers to the regulators in a decade. This includes powers for the Environment Agency to recover costs for a much greater range of enforcement activities.
Additionally, all water companies in England and Wales are now under a statutory duty to publish annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans. Chief Executives will be required to approve both the plan and the report and will be personally liable for their publication.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the impact of domestic bonfire smoke on (a) rural air quality and (b) wider environmental health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Smoke from domestic bonfires can negatively affect both rural air quality and broader environmental health. Current legislation prohibits the burning of household waste where it may lead to pollution or pose a risk to public health. In addition, local authorities have the power to issue abatement notices should bonfire smoke constitute a statutory nuisance. Further guidance for the public is available at Reducing air pollution from outdoor burning.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will produce an impact assessment on the potential impact of increases in costs for (a) butchers, (b) abattoirs and (c) other food business operators on those businesses.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The UK food processing and manufacturing sectors are highly resilient and adaptable and continue to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges they have faced in recent years including the covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
The Government continues to support food businesses more widely through a range of initiatives. The upcoming SME Strategy Paper will outline a cross-Government vision to help small and medium-sized enterprises, including food businesses, scale up and thrive. This includes improving access to finance, markets, and tailored support. The new Business Growth Service will streamline access to advice and resources, delivered locally in partnership with Growth Hubs and devolved governments. Funding for Growth Hubs and Help to Grow: Management in 2025-26 will further strengthen business capabilities and resilience.
The Government remains focused on maintaining a fair and competitive environment for all businesses and to reducing burdens through targeted, proportionate measures.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is offering to small independent family (a) butchers and (b) abattoirs.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government recognises the important contribution small independent family butchers and abattoirs make to the food supply chain and remains committed to maintaining a resilient and accessible meat processing sector. A strong network of local abattoirs and local butchers is vital for supporting rural economies, strengthening small-scale livestock farmers with private kill facilities and access to local markets, sustaining rare and native breeds, and providing skilled employment opportunities.
Defra continues to work closely with stakeholders representing both small abattoirs and local butchers including through the Small Abattoirs Working Group and the Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. These groups help both identify challenges and opportunities faced by these sectors and co-operate in developing practical solutions to improve sustainability.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a Clean Waters Forum including (a) charities, (b) NGOs and (c) representatives from (i) his Department and (ii) the Environment Agency to lay out a cohesive strategy to tackle sewage pollution.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following a public call for evidence with over 50,000 responses, the Independent Water Commission (IWC), led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further action to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. The IWC published its interim findings on 03 June 2025; the report's findings can be found at Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings - GOV.UK.
The IWC will submit its final report to the UK and Welsh governments later in summer 2025 with recommendations on how to reset the sector for the future. Both Governments will then respond and consult on proposals, including potential legislation.
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including charities and NGOs, on many issues related to the water sector including on sewage pollution.
As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record of over £11 billion of investment to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales. This investment will be targeted at those affecting the most sensitive sites for ecological and human health.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) protect nature-friendly farming practices in North Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government is backing British farming. We are prioritising investment that supports the government’s Plan for Change and building on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery.
We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.
In the recent spending review, we committed to carrying on the transition towards paying to deliver public goods for the environment, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery between 2026 and 2029. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million). We do not hold that information at a constituency level.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people who fall ill from sewage pollution-related causes in Cornwall.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are putting water companies under special measures through our landmark Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act has introduced new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against law breakers and made it mandatory for water companies to publish plans to reduce pollution incidents.
The upcoming Progress Report on the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP), scheduled for publication later this year, will include assessment of South West Water’s progress toward the Plan’s Human Health (bathing water) target. The Plan also priorities action at 81 sites impacting bathing water in Cornwall, with improvements phased by 2030.
As part of Price Review 24 (2025-2030), South West Water will be investing £764 million to reduce the use of storm overflows, which will see an expected 62% reduction in storm overflow spills compared to its performance in 2023-24.
The Independent Water Commission will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and clean up our waterways for good.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of bonfires involving non-garden waste materials on (a) the environment and (b) public health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Existing laws prevent burning household waste if it will cause pollution or harm people’s health. Local authorities may also issue an abatement notice if smoke from bonfires causes a nuisance. We have published further guidance on this issue Reducing air pollution from outdoor burning.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of Surfers Against Sewage's publication entitled Water Quality Report 2025, published in April 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is taking significant steps to improve water quality and reform the sector.
The Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, closed its public call for evidence in April with over 50,000 responses. An interim report is due in May and will focus on strategic direction, regulation, ownership, and infrastructure. The final report will follow in June.
In parallel, the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which gained Royal Assent in February, introduces stronger regulatory powers and improved financial transparency for water companies. Implementation is underway and has been widely welcomed.
Additionally, the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan outlines clear targets to reduce pollution. By 2035, all overflows near bathing waters must be improved, and by 2050, storm overflows should operate only during unusually heavy rainfall, without harming ecosystems.
Together, these measures aim to restore public confidence through investment, tighter regulation, and better environmental outcomes.