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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce (a) microplastic wastewater discharges and (b) illegal wastewater discharges.

The UK Water Industry Research project (performed by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) reported in April 2022 that wastewater treatment plants remove 99% of microplastics by number and 99.5% by mass.

We will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, we will not hesitate to hold companies to account. We have boosted funding for the Environment Agency (EA) with £2.2 million per year specifically for water company enforcement activity so that robust action is taken against illegal breaches of storm overflow permits. We are consulting on increasing the scope of penalties and maximum penalty the EA can impose on water companies damaging the environment. This consultation closes on 15 May.