Oral Answers to Questions

Chris Ward Excerpts

Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Daniel Zeichner]

The hon. Gentleman raises a very important point, and I visited an abattoir last week. Because of the changes to the system over a number of years, we have seen a concentration of these facilities. We all want to see more small abattoirs. The previous Government introduced a fund, but it proved difficult to get uptake. There is a whole range of serious issues. We are very aware of the problem, and we want to work with him and others to solve it.

[Chris Ward (Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven) (Lab)]

T7.   In the last few days, I have had a huge number of emails from constituents about continued sewage discharge into our otherwise beautiful seas and the shocking record of Southern Water on this issue. I noted earlier that the Secretary of State said he had been to Bournemouth a couple of times, but can he come a little further down the coast, visit my constituency, and set out what this Government are doing to clean up our waters and hold Southern Water to account?

[Steve Reed]

Well, I was not far away a couple of weeks ago—I was down in Lewes. I congratulate my hon. Friend on being such a powerful campaigner on issues relating to sewage in his constituency. He tells me that he has brought together a group of campaigners. I would be delighted to meet him and them to see some of the problems and talk about how we can start to fix the appalling problems with pollution that the Conservative party has landed us with.