Oral Answers to Questions

Dan Aldridge Excerpts

Thursday 22nd October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Dame Angela Eagle]

I argue with the hon. Lady’s characterisation of the “collapse” of the scheme. We should not forget that SFI26 made nearly £1 billion of support available for the next three years for environmentally sustainable farming. We have 70,000 multi-year environment land management agreements in place, which are making sure that we support environmentally friendly farming. I would not characterise that as a collapse. I note that the Tories did not spend the whole farming budget when they were in government, they botched Brexit, which led to a 22% fall in trade, and they concluded an Australian trade deal that Tory Secretaries of State now admit has sold out British farmers.

[Dan Aldridge (Weston-super-Mare) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to help reduce sewage discharges into waterways.

[The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

We have strengthened regulation and enforcement, driving record water company investment into waste water infrastructure to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales. The strengthened Water Bill will go further in tackling sewage pollution from water companies, private sewage and catchment-wide pre-pipe and source-control conditions.

[Dan Aldridge]

A recent report by Surfers Against Sewage alleges that water companies across England failed to report more than 50,000 sewage spills within the legally required timeframe in just the first half of this year. Like many residents across Weston, Worle and the villages, I am deeply concerned about the impact of sewage pollution and will always urge the Government to go faster and harder to tackle the crisis. Will the Minister tell us what more the Government will do to hold water companies to account in coastal communities such as mine, so constituencies have confidence that our much-loved waterways and coastlines are protected?

[Emma Hardy]

My hon. Friend is right to be angry about the failure of water companies to report sewage pollution on time. Our Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 will enact automatic penalties for companies that fail to report sewage pollution within four hours. As he will have seen from South West Water’s recent £8 million fine for sewage pollution incidents, this Government take enforcement seriously.