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 she has made of the potential impact of a reduction in the Environment Agency’s budget on levels of sewage discharge.

The Government has increased the Environment Agency's overall grant in aid funding by over 40%, and capital funding by 80%, since 2010. We have also boosted funding for the Environment Agency with £2.2 million per year specifically for water company enforcement activity so that robust action is taken against illegal breaches of storm overflow permits.

HM Government has been repeatedly clear to water companies that the levels of sewage pollution at present are completely unacceptable, and they must take significant and urgent action to tackle them.