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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2023 to Question 186319 on Drinking Water Inspectorate: Finance, what Drinking Water Inspectorate activities are provided by her Department's funding.

There are two appropriate expenditure elements incurred by the DWI that are not recoverable under The Water Quality and Supply (Fees) Order 2016, and that are funded directly by a contribution from the Department. These are:

a) A proportion of the overall DWI’s Senior Management Team (SMT) time. SMT consists of the Chief Inspector supported by two Deputy Chief Inspectors. The specific proportion of the funding from the Department for SMT activities varies from year to year as the range/detail of work by SMT members will also change from year to year depending on the scope regulatory input required.

b) The DWI Research Programme and the associated staff cost of its manager. The research programme delivers important regulatory research with external partners in appropriate areas that support regulation on behalf of the sector and ultimately consumers.