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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to introduce new metrics to measure improvements in individual aspects of water quality in (a) rivers and (b) other inland freshwater bodies.

Last year, the Government published an indicator framework designed to describe and measure progress towards the 10 goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan, including the goal of clean and plentiful water and the target to return 75% of our surface water to as close as possible to its natural condition, as soon as is practicable. Seven of the 66 indicators, such as pollution loads entering water, specifically cover changes to the water environment. There is always room to refine environmental metrics. The indicator framework serves as a new basis to improve metrics to monitor changes in the natural environment and ensure that we are taking appropriate action.