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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the cleanliness of England's waterways.

The Environment Agency's most recent water body classification results taken in 2019 showed that 16% of waters overall and 14% of rivers in England are at Good Ecological Status. The Government remains committed to bringing at least three quarters of our water to as close as possible to its natural state as soon as is practicable, supported by at least one legally binding water target in the new Environment Act.

Water pollution comes from a number of sources and requires concerted action from government, industry and the public. We are tackling pollution from poor farming practice with regulation, financial incentives and by providing advice and training. Water company investment in environmental improvements will increase to £7.1 billion in current Price Review period (2020-25). Our draft statement of the strategic priorities of Ofwat, the water company regulator, puts enhancing environmental quality as a clear key priority. The storm overflow task force, comprising government, regulators and water companies, will help address the problem of sewage discharge from overflows and our new chemicals strategy will build on an already robust statutory regime to ensure chemicals are managed and handled safely.