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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report entitled Independent Water Commission: review of the water sector, updated on 29 July 2025, whether she plans to make an assessment of how effectively public health can be incorporated into a new water framework.

Public Health outcomes are a key gap in the current legislative framework. The Independent Water Commission recommended the Chief Medical Officers of England and Wales establish taskforces to review the incorporation of public health better into the water legislative framework.

The Government will work closely with the Chief Medical Officers and the Department of Health and Social Care to consider how to best create a legal framework that reflects latest research around public health outcomes.