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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the extreme weather during summer 2022, what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient domestic reserves of water.

Despite the dry summer, water companies in England have assured us that essential water supplies remain resilient across the country. It is their duty to maintain those supplies. Defra Ministers expect water company action in accordance with their pre-agreed drought plans.

HM Government recognises the need to continue to improve the resilience of our water supplies and is committed to a twin track approach to improving water resilience, which is set out in our Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat, Written Ministerial Statement on Water Demand and in the 25 Year Environment Plan. This involves investing in new supply infrastructure and action to reduce water company leaks and improve water efficiency.

The National Framework for Water Resources, published in March 2020, sets out the strategic water needs for England to 2050 and beyond. HM Government is requiring water companies to plan to deliver resilience to a one in 500-year drought that is not needing to resort to emergency measures, such as standpipes and rota cuts.

Water companies are also using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2019-2024) to progress the infrastructure required. In autumn 2022, water companies will publish their statutory draft Water Resources Management Plans for consultation, which will set out how they will improve drought resilience and secure water supplies in the long term.