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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce river pollution in the UK.

River Basin Management Plans provide the framework for protecting and improving water quality, by setting ambitious environmental goals and actions to be taken in catchments over the next 6 years and beyond. The plans were updated in 2015 and will complement the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan. This will manage the environment in a more integrated way, harnessing the potential of data, local partnerships, and environmental technology to deliver more improvements to our environment in tandem with economic growth. More information on the plans can be viewed on GOV.UK under “River Basin Management plans: 2015.”

The current plans confirm over £3 billion investment in the water environment by 2021, which will lead to at least 680 improved water bodies by 2021, aiming for over 130 to have more abundant fish populations and 440 to have less pollution. This will be achieved through partnership working with the water industry, farmers, catchment partnerships, highways and the Coal Authority.