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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ICL being the UK water industry’s sole domestic supplier of sodium hydrochlorite on the security of the water supply.

Defra works routinely with the water sector to proactively identify and mitigate risks to safeguard the security of water supplies. The Government is preparing to respond to the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission, including on assessing potential vulnerabilities in the supply chains needed to produce safe drinking water. Reforms outlined in this response will form the basis of a new water reform bill to be introduced early in this Parliament.