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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to review the regulatory framework governing effluent recycling to ensure independent scrutiny and auditing of any future plant, in line with international practice.

The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) brings together the three water regulators Ofwat, Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate. RAPID is enabling the right regulatory frameworks and provides a robust process to scrutinise strategic water resource options to ensure they are appropriate and deliverable.

For any water recycling proposal to proceed, water companies will need to show how they will meet planning and permitting requirements. This includes protection for the environment and public health.