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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to increase investment in desalination plants.

The Government recognises the need for new water resources infrastructure, including reservoirs and water transfers, alongside reducing leakage and conserving water to provide a secure supply of water for future generations and to protect our environment.

The National Framework for Water Resources (launched in March 2020) brings together industry, regulators and Government to transform the way we use and look after our water supplies, including the need to reduce demand, halve leakage and develop new supplies.

The water industry is now working in regional groups to deliver the action needed to meet the challenge set out in the Framework to make sure water supplies remain secure. This includes looking at how they will accommodate new buildings and investigating what new infrastructure projects are required, such as desalination.

As part of the current price review round (PR19), Ofwat has allocated a £469 million fund for water companies to expedite and progress the development of new water infrastructure. Additionally, the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) has been formed to help accelerate the development of new water infrastructure and design future regulatory frameworks to enable this development.