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 his comments in the House of Commons on 8 September 2022 that he had instructed water company chief executives to write to him formally by 21 September 2022 with a plan for how they would make significant improvements, whether he has received those letters.

As the Secretary of State requested, we have received letters from all water companies on how they plan to make improvements, and we are now working with them to establish where they can do more and opportunities to speed up delivery.

We will respond accordingly to the outcomes of these discussions.