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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timeframe is for the roll-out of water competition between suppliers for domestic household consumers.

There has been no decision on whether to roll out water competition between suppliers for domestic household consumers.

The Government is looking to learn lessons from opening the water market for business customers, particularly with regard to the impacts on bills, customer service, innovation and efficiency, before making any decision on whether to roll out water competition between suppliers for domestic household consumers. In particular, we need to ensure the benefits can be delivered and vulnerable customers can be protected.