Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling the use of catchment approaches and nature-based solutions by water companies in delivering their regulated obligations in the forthcoming Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government is consulting on a draft strategic policy statement for Ofwat. This will set priorities for the economic regulator in the following areas:
The consultation for the strategic policy statement can be accessed via the link here:
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating Ofwat to incentivise long-term outcomes on (a) net-zero and (b) the delivery of the 25 Year Environment Plan through the forthcoming strategic policy statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government is consulting on a draft strategic policy statement for Ofwat. This will set priorities for the economic regulator in the following areas:
The consultation for the strategic policy statement can be accessed via the link here:
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
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 reconcile (a) low average bills, (b) the need to support vulnerable customers and (c) other short-term deliverables in the water industry with long-term investment needs to deliver on net-zero commitments and environmental objectives.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
(a) Ofwat, the independent economic regulator, is responsible for ensuring that water companies charge fair prices and deliver quality services, through a process called the Price Review.
(b) All water companies offer reduced bills for eligible customers via the WaterSure scheme and social tariffs. Water companies also offer a range of other financial support measures such as payment holidays, bill matching and advice on debt management and water efficiency. Last October, Defra commissioned the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) to review the effectiveness of existing support schemes in water to ensure they are fit for purpose now and in the future. Defra is working with CCW and industry to explore CCW’s recommendations (see Independent Affordability Review | CCW (ccwater.org.uk)) further.
(c) As part of Ofwat's 2019 Price Review process, water companies have set out their investment needs and associated costs up to 2024/2025. The Government has set its future expectations for Ofwat in a new strategic policy statement ( The government's strategic priorities for Ofwat: draft for consultation (defra.gov.uk)) which sets out the significant Government ambitions on the environment and climate change, and how the water industry should contribute to that work.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
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 plans to take to ensure that people in Great Britain who use assistance dogs do not face hardship as a result of new administrative requirements when they travel to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The health and documentary requirements for pet travel to the EU are set out under the EU Pet Travel Regulations. Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, EU rules also apply to the non-commercial movements of pets into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. There are no derogations for assistance dogs under the legal framework of the EU Pet Travel Regulations.
We will continue to press the European Commission in relation to securing Part 1 listed status, recognising that achieving this would alleviate some of the new requirements for pet owners and assistance dog users travelling to the EU and to Northern Ireland. We are clear that we meet all the animal health requirements for this, and we have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity.
The Government is engaging with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to explore means to streamline pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland recognising the high standards of animal health that we share. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has also written to the European Vice-President seeking to ensure that an agreement can be made to address the barriers imposed on pet travel between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
In the meantime, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland has recently published guidance on a pragmatic enforcement approach to pets entering from Great Britain. Northern Ireland-based pets and assistance dogs returning to Northern Ireland from Great Britain can continue to use a Northern Ireland-issued EU Pet Passport to re-enter Northern Ireland and will not need an animal health certificate. Pets and assistance dogs entering from Great Britain will not be subject to routine checks until July 2021. Current guidance on pet travel to Northern Ireland is available on DAERA's NIDirect website.
We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the EU and to Northern Ireland. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for the management of (a) supertrawlers and (b) supertrawler fleets under the the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
We are reviewing our policies for these vessels operating in UK waters. Any action taken will align with the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and must be evidence-based.