Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Hayes Excerpts

Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Daniel Zeichner]

No, I do not agree with the shadow Minister. I have chosen my words carefully: this is a complicated set of issues, we are consulting and we will be coming back with our proposals shortly.

[Tom Hayes (Bournemouth East) (Lab)]

5. What steps he is taking to help tackle water pollution on the Dorset coast.

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Steve Reed)]

My hon. Friend showed me the scale of pollution on the Dorset coast and I share his determination to put a stop to it. This Government are fixing the broken sewage pipes that are responsible for this pollution, funded by £104 billion of private investment that we have helped to secure. Over the next five years, that will fund Wessex Water, in his area, to cut storm overflow spills by 43%—a major milestone towards cleaning up for good beautiful places in his constituency, which I had the pleasure of visiting with him, such as Bournemouth beach and Hengistbury.

[Tom Hayes]

I thank the Secretary of State for his answer and for his two visits to Bournemouth. People still talk happily about his visit to the Hengistbury Head Outdoors centre. I met recently with constituents in Bournemouth East who are calling for nationalisation as a way to improve accountability and investment in the water industry. How does the Secretary of State see a path towards nationalisation sitting within his wider efforts to protect our waters?

[Steve Reed]

Nationalisation is not the answer, because it would require handing over more than £100 billion to water company owners that could only be raised through higher taxation or cuts to vital public services. It would also take years of legal wrangling that would see the brakes slammed on investment, causing pollution to get worse and, ultimately, lead to higher bills for customers. This Government are taking the fastest possible route towards cleaner water and fairer bills.