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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her has Department made of the impact of sewage pollution in (a) rivers and (b) lakes on biodiversity.

The impact of sewage discharges on ecology varies depending on the pollutants it carries, their concentration, and the nature of the receiving water body.

In England, we have now set and committed to four legally binding targets for biodiversity.

• By 2030 we will halt the decline in species abundance.
• By 2042 we will reverse species decline, reduce the risk of species extinction and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats, including rivers and lakes.

Action to restore or create freshwater habitats will support species in our indicator that live in and rely on lakes and rivers such as kingfishers, silver bream, perch, and minnow.

Our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets clear and specific targets for water companies, regulators and the Government, to work towards the long-term ambition of eliminating the ecological harm from storm overflows. These targets contribute to the Environment Act targets on biodiversity.