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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to hold (a) highway businesses, (b) agriculture businesses and (c) other non-water sector polluters accountable for water pollution.

For the first time, river systems will be managed as a whole to tackle pollution from all sources, ensuring every sector plays its part in cleaning up our waterways.

Subject to consultation this autumn, the Government will abolish Ofwat and merge its functions with water functions across the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to form a single new regulator.

There will be a regional element to the new regulator to ensure greater local involvement in water planning and allow all sources of pollution to be addressed across the river catchment.

Until the single water regulator is fully established, the existing regulators will continue to carry out their functions and enforcement responsibilities in full. The Government will clarify its expectations through a Strategic Policy Statement and ministerial direction, expected to be published later this year.