Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of water utility companies that use (a) off-shore financial arrangements and (b) tax havens.

According to data compiled by Ofwat, the following regulated water companies have offshore finance structures registered in the Cayman Islands: Affinity Water, South East Water, Southern Water, Thames Water, Welsh Water and Yorkshire Water.

All of these offshore finance structures are UK resident for tax purposes.

Thames Water and Yorkshire Water have both recently announced their intention to close their offshore finance structures.