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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 27 March (HL15802), whether they plan to close the national investigation into water and sewerage service companies launched in November 2021 after the consideration of the three pending charges for the second defendant water company.

The three pending charges all relate to Environment Act 1995 Section 110 charges for failing to provide records required within the national investigation into water and sewerage service companies launched in November 2021. They are not the main focus of the investigation which deals with discharges to the environment when not meeting flow to full treatment and insufficient rainfall.

There are no plans to close the investigation after the three charges pending against the second defendant have been settled.