Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 take steps to move water companies that do not restrict sewage spills under an operator of last resort.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is no operator of last resort for water companies. Ofwat monitors the performance and financial position of all water companies and publishes results on these annually. Ofwat will take action when water company performance is not at the level Government expect, or if their investors need to strengthen their long-term financial resilience.
This Government is holding the water industry to account on a scale never seen before. We have legislated to introduce unlimited penalties on water companies who breach their environmental permits and expand the range of offences to which penalties can be applied. Furthermore, on 20 February, the Government and Environment Agency (EA) announced that they will quadruple the number of water company inspections to crack down on poor performing companies.
We will continue to hold water companies to account and if there are illegal breaches of permits, the regulators will not hesitate to take robust action.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of infrastructure in preventing sewage releases into rivers.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Through the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows, driving the largest infrastructure programme in water company history of £60 billion over 25 years. We expect water companies to utilise a natural capital approach, considering carbon reduction and biodiversity net gain, as well as catchment level and nature-based solutions in their planning where possible.
Water company investment in environmental improvements has been scaled up to £7.1 billion over the period 2020 – 25. This includes £3.1 billion invested in storm overflow improvements specifically. Moreover, we expect water companies to use the next five-year Price Review period (2025-2030) to set bold and ambitious plans that deliver for people and the environment.
On 11 March, the Government announced additional fast-tracked investment of £180m over the next 12 months into improving sewer infrastructure. This is expected to prevent more than 8000 sewage spills polluting English waterways.
Mar. 21 2024
Source Page: Consumer Council for Water annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023Found: And the industry continued to be engulfed in controversy surrounding pollution in our rivers, streams
Mar. 21 2024
Source Page: Environmental capacity for industrial clustersFound: Waste management, sewage works and sewer capacity may also limit the extent of what is permissible without
Mar. 21 2024
Source Page: Environmental capacity for industrial clustersFound: Climate change could also affect rivers which are already impacted.
Mar. 21 2024
Source Page: Environmental capacity for industrial clustersFound: Waste management, sewage works and sewer capacity may also limit the extent of what is permissible without
Mar. 21 2024
Source Page: Environmental capacity for industrial clustersFound: Climate change could also affect rivers which are already impacted.
Mentions:
1: Philip Dunne (Con - Ludlow) disingenuous Lib Dem leaflets, it is the Conservative Government who are taking action to clean up our rivers - Speech Link
2: Penny Mordaunt (Con - Portsmouth North) done across the country to ensure that we can reduce those storm overflows when they happen, and that sewage - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green - Life peer) Water privatisation has given us sewage in our rivers, higher bills and a collapsing infrastructure. - Speech Link
Asked by: Danny Kruger (Conservative - Devizes)
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 an assessment of the potential impact of septic tanks on the cleanliness of rivers; and if he will make it his policy to ban septic tanks (a) in the catchment areas of chalk streams and (b) near other watercourses.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Large numbers of properties in rural areas of England rely on on-site water treatment systems as they are not connected to mains sewerage systems. Septic tanks, the most common on-site sewage treatment systems in these areas, are regulated to ensure they are maintained properly and do not cause pollution. Through our long-term Plan for Water, the Government is committed to delivering a clean water environment for people and nature, including the impact of private sewerage systems on chalk streams. This aligns with our broader commitment to review private sewage discharges regulation to manage environmental risk.