Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with water companies on timely (a) maintenance and (b) repair of fire hydrants.

Ministers in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have not held recent discussions with water companies specifically on this issue. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) engages regularly with water companies and regulators to support the resilience and maintenance of water infrastructure, ensuring systems and assets are kept in good working order.

There are specific provisions in the Water Industry Act 1991 under Section 57 which requires water undertakers in England and Wales to provide and maintain fire hydrants on their mains, excluding trunk mains, at the request of the local fire and rescue authority.