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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reopening Bathing Water applications before changes including (a) core reforms and (b) wider reforms are implemented.

The reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations will modernise the system so that it reflects how and where people use bathing waters.

We have taken the decision to reopen applications this year and published interim guidance for applicants wishing to apply for designation in 2026.

To manage this transition to the reformed Regulations we shall enact a triage system for new applications submitted in 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bathing-waters-apply-to-designate-or-de-designate/designate-a-bathing-water-guidance-on-how-to-apply.

For the wider reforms, we have begun policy development and research, including epidemiological studies, to determine how best to implement these reforms in the future, considering any potential environmental, societal and access impacts.