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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have instructed the Consumer Council for Water to refund any fees, levies, or other sums paid by water companies in respect of the alternative dispute resolution service it operated through a third party; what the total sum to be refunded is; how that sum is broken down by company and financial year; and from what budget any refunds will be made.

On 20 April 2026, Defra instructed the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) to cease provision of the adjudication element of the Alternative Dispute Resolution service it had been operating through a third party, on the basis that CCW does not have the statutory power to conduct adjudication activities or to charge for them. CCW’s published Annual Report and Accounts set out provisions to refund subscribing water companies £34k for 2023–24 and £114k for 2024–25. As part of ongoing engagement on this matter, water companies will consider how best to allocate any refunds to support their respective community funds.