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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for water, forestry, rural affairs and resource management on 30 June 2014 (202032), what recent assessment they have made of using Kielder Water as a water source linked to a national water grid; and what directives, if any, have been issued to water companies to ensure the subject is included in their Water Resources Management Plans.

In its 2019 Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP), Northumbrian Water identified a water surplus available for trading from the Kielder Water Resources Zone. However, no other water company took this forward, due to the costs of the project compared with alternate solutions to secure water supplies.

In line with the aims of the National Framework for Water Resources, the Water Resources North regional planning group is assessing how Kielder might be able to support national water resources resilience in the future. In the autumn of this year, we will see draft regional plans and 2024 WRMPs consulted on publicly, and we expect to see water transfers, bulk supplies and connections considered against all other options.