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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of households that use less than the average amount of water whose bills will increase as a result of the installation of a smart meter.

Defra has not made an estimate of the number of households that use less than the average amount of water whose bills will increase as a result of the installation of either a ‘standard’ or a ‘smart’ water meter.

However, based on previous experience, low water users are most likely to benefit from having a meter fitted as they pay for the water they use.