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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of water consumption by data storage centres on (a) consumer and (b) agricultural water supplies.

Datacentre water consumption varies considerably based on their size and cooling method. There is currently no requirement for data centres to report on their water consumption, so an accurate assessment of their impact on water supplies to consumers and agriculture is difficult. We are working with datacentres and their trade associations to understand their impact and identify opportunities to improve reporting and water efficiencies in their design.