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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the role of desalination plants in mitigating the consequences of drought.

Climate change, population growth and economic development mean we must act now to secure resilient long-term water supplies, while protecting and improving the environment.

The Government is taking a diverse and coordinated approach, combining demand reduction, environmental protection and new infrastructure, including the potential role that desalination could play in future water supply systems.

Alongside desalination plants, wider plans include new reservoirs, water recycling and water transfer schemes.