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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department met with representatives of environmental groups on sewage discharge by water companies into rivers, lakes and coastlines since 1 April 2022.

The Government has repeatedly made it clear to the water industry that the current use of sewage discharges is unacceptable. We are going further and faster than any other government to protect and enhance the health of our rivers and seas. This includes by proposing the largest water company infrastructure project in history to tackle this historical problem. Defra Ministers regularly meet environmental groups on a range of issues, including river health and water quality.