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 merits of taking water utilities into public ownership.

The water industry has not worked for people or the environment for far too long. That is why, in our strengthened Water Bill, we will remove the Thatcher-era restrictions on public ownership in water companies.

This Government will keep all options on the table and will ensure clear consequences for water companies who are failing the communities they serve.