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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to strengthen water security.

Water companies have a statutory duty under the Water Industry Act 1991 to produce and maintain Statutory Drought Plans, which set out how companies operationally respond to droughts. They must also produce Water Resources Management Plans, which outline how they will provide secure water supplies over 25 years, which include strengthening drought resilience and managing supply and demand.

Government has committed to cutting leakage, increasing efficiency through water re-use, mandatory water efficiency labelling and accelerated rollout of smart meters, alongside delivering nine new reservoirs, delivered as part of a record £104 billion investment into the sector. In response to this year’s drought, Government and the Environment Agency increased the frequency of National Drought Group meetings, bringing together key partners to assess the situation, hold water companies to account and ensure coordinated action.