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 level of sewage in rivers and to maintain habitat and species in and around rivers.

Protecting and improving water quality is a devolved matter and in England is the responsibility of the Environment Agency.

In the period 2015 to 2020, the water industry in England will be investing about £3.5 billion in environmental improvements. Many of these improvements are targeted at improving river water quality to support fisheries and improved habitats for wildlife. This work is a key component of River Basin Management Plans that provide the framework for protecting and improving the water environment.

Since privatisation £25 billion has been invested by the water industry in sewerage infrastructure to achieve environmental improvements. Pollutant loads to rivers from water industry discharges have declined in recent years resulting in over 10,000km of rivers that have been maintained or improved in quality.

The water industry in conjunction with the Environment Agency and Ofwat are now planning for the next investment period 2020 to 2025.