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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect the health of people using inland waters for recreation.

The Government will bring forward legislation through the Clean Water Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 13 May, to deliver major reforms to the water system.

Public health will be at the heart of these reforms, alongside measures to strengthen regulation, improve water quality and tackle pollution at source, as set out in the Water White Paper.

The Government recently designated 13 new bathing waters, including six river sites. Designated bathing waters are regularly monitored during the bathing season, and water quality results are published on the Swimfo website. This helps to protect public health, allowing individuals to make more informed decisions about when and where to enter the water.