Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
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 had recent discussions with Ofwat on water companies outsourcing capital programmes to separate companies.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) involves a water or wastewater company competitively tendering for services in relation to the delivery of certain large infrastructure projects, resulting in the selection of a third-party competitively appointed provider.
As part of Ofwat’s Price Review 2024, companies are encouraged to consider the use of DPC approach for discrete projects over £200 million. Outsourcing delivery via DPC has a range of possible benefits, including lower capital and operational costs, lower financing costs, and the provision of benchmarks for efficient costs.
Whether a project is delivered via DPC is a decision for Ofwat.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending water undertakers' licences under the Environment Act 2021 to require those undertakers to accept septic tank waste (a) where there is market failure in the processing of that waste and (b) in other circumstances.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not have the power to amend water company licence conditions; Ofwat has this power under the Water Industry Act 1991.
In the Plan for Water, the Government has committed to review existing regulatory arrangements and explore funding and other support options for improving septic tank activities. We continue to consider options that mitigate the risks arising from private sewage discharges.
In January 2023, to ease the pressures on the septic tank waste disposal market in Cornwall, the Environment Agency issued a regulatory position statement to increase waste storage capacity. This means that tanks can temporarily store more sewage (up to 60 cubic metres) until South West Water has capacity to take it.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Environment Agency on trends in the level of (a) dredging and (b) desilting as a means of flood prevention.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers and Defra officials regularly meet with the Environment Agency to discuss flood and water management issues, including dredging.
The Environment Agency assesses each situation individually and dredge when it is the right solution, and it provides long-term value for money. Understanding where it will, and will not, reduce flood risk is key.
Where there is evidence that dredging will reduce flood risk to local properties or agricultural land without increasing flooding downstream, it meets government criteria, and is cost effective, the Environment Agency will do it.
Dredging can contribute to reducing flooding in some locations, but in others dredging would be an extremely inefficient and ineffective way to manage flood risk, as the natural processes in many rivers can cause the silt to return and accumulate in the same places very quickly. We also know from historic records and modelling that dredging in some locations can increase erosion and flood risk for communities downstream.
In extreme flooding events, the relatively small increases in width and depth achievable by dredging the channel do not provide anywhere near enough capacity to contain the excess flood water, since the channel may already be full of water, and therefore does not prevent flooding.
Any structures encroaching in the river such as bridges, weirs and natural features need to be considered, as these could be damaged or may be pinch points with hard foundations which can make dredging ineffective. Deepening can in some instances also cause destabilising of natural riverbanks leading to soil erosion and damage to riverside flood defences.
Asked by: James Murray (Labour (Co-op) - Ealing North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2024 to Question 19486 on Sewage: Repairs and Maintenance, if he will issue guidance to (a) local authorities and (b) water companies on whether they have a statutory duty to enforce sewage misconnections under Section 59 of the Building Act 1984.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is no statutory duty for water companies under Section 59 of the Building Act 1984. The legislation explains the responsibilities of local authorities and the powers available to them, as well as the options for recovering costs they might incur if they have to undertake remedial 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, what steps he is taking to ensure that devolved regions in Yorkshire develop a strategic plan for water and sewage management.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In January 2023, the Government published its Environmental Improvement Plan. This included a commitment for more joined up management of the water system. The current water and floods policy and legal framework has been developed incrementally over time, resulting in over 15 national plans and strategic documents. Whilst each plan has its own purpose, we want to make the whole framework more outcome-focussed and fully integrated with other environmental plans and government delivery plans. We reiterated this commitment in our landmark Plan for Water published in April 2023.
The Government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage system both now and for future demand. To improve the strategic management of drainage and target investment appropriately to meet future needs, water and sewerage companies have produced Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a water company intends to improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, including how the drainage network will adapt to changes such as an increasing population and urban creep. Water companies in England (including Yorkshire Water) have already produced one round of DWMPs, with the final plans published in Summer 2023. As committed to in the Plan for Water and the Environmental Improvement Plan, DWMPs will be placed on a statutory footing for the next cycle (2024-2029), in line with the ambition laid out in section 79 of the Environment Act 2021. Statutory planning will help to ensure that sewerage companies fully assess the wastewater and sewerage network capacity and promote closer working and development of collaborative solutions with others who are responsible for parts of the drainage network, such as local authorities. Combined with other water plans and initiatives, DWMPs will help to ensure drainage and wastewater services are better managed and properly supported, as well as delivering greater efficiencies for customers and supporting investment in nature-based solutions.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which bathing waters have been de-designated in the South East since 2010.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Clacton (Groyne 41) in Tendring, Essex was de-designated in 2020 due to the site receiving 5 consecutive ‘Poor’ classifications. Newhaven in Lewes, East Sussex, was de-designated in 2016 as the site was no longer being used for bathing. Access had been closed by the private owner, as harbour byelaws prohibited bathing.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to designate bathing waters in Portsmouth South by 2025.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra runs an application process for the designation of new bathing waters. Defra did not receive any applications for new bathing water sites to be designated in Portsmouth South for the 2024 bathing season.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many maintenance callouts have been made to HMNB Clyde for (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould issues since April 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of maintenance callouts which have been made to HMNB Clyde is shown in the table below. This covers both Clyde sites, Faslane (including Clyde Off-site Centre) and Coulport and includes c400 buildings/facilities. By their nature defects are wide ranging and this represents everything from minor to major.
| Category | Volume |
A | Roofing | 570 |
B | Call outs for heating/hot water issues | 732 |
C | Electrical | 11732 |
D | Pest Control | 265 |
E | Damp and Mould | 136 |
Due to the way the data is collected, it is not possible to breakdown category B into further detail.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to Somme Barracks for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The total number of callouts to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) inside the wire for Helles Barracks, Gaza Barracks, Bourlon Barracks, Somme Barracks, Marne Barracks and RM Stonehouse for maintenance issues since April 2022 are shown in the table below.
Please note we are unable to separate the SFA figures serving Helles Barracks, Gaza Barracks, Bourlon Barracks, Somme Barracks and Marne Barracks as they are all part of the wider Catterick Garrison;
Location | Amey Estate | Roofing | Loss of Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | D&M | TOTAL |
Helles Barracks | Catterick | 284 | 327 | 1304 | 271 | 141 | 2327 |
Gaza Barracks | |||||||
Bourlon Barracks | |||||||
Somme Barracks | |||||||
Marne Barracks | |||||||
RM Stonehouse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The total number of callouts for Helles Barracks, Gaza Barracks, Bourlon Barracks, Somme Barracks, Marne Barracks and RM Stonehouse for maintenance issues since April 2022, excluding callouts to SFA, are shown in the table below:
Location | Roofing | Loss Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | Damp & Mould | TOTAL | ||
Only Heating | Only Hot Water | Both | ||||||
Helles Barracks | 259 | 307 | 277 | 22 | 1692 | 163 | 60 | 2780 |
Gaza Barracks | 29 | 102 | 110 | 4 | 277 | 40 | 18 | 580 |
Bourlon Barracks | 31 | 46 | 94 | 2 | 155 | 27 | 5 | 360 |
Somme Barracks | 23 | 105 | 97 | 2 | 112 | 21 | 2 | 362 |
Marne Barracks | 83 | 150 | 333 | 11 | 502 | 39 | 61 | 1179 |
RM Stonehouse | 109 | 102 | 91 | 2 | 246 | 34 | 34 | 618 |
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to Gaza Barracks for maintenance issues relating to (a) roofing, (b) loss of heating and hot water, (c) electrics, (d) pest control and (e) damp and mould since April 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The total number of callouts to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) inside the wire for Helles Barracks, Gaza Barracks, Bourlon Barracks, Somme Barracks, Marne Barracks and RM Stonehouse for maintenance issues since April 2022 are shown in the table below.
Please note we are unable to separate the SFA figures serving Helles Barracks, Gaza Barracks, Bourlon Barracks, Somme Barracks and Marne Barracks as they are all part of the wider Catterick Garrison;
Location | Amey Estate | Roofing | Loss of Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | D&M | TOTAL |
Helles Barracks | Catterick | 284 | 327 | 1304 | 271 | 141 | 2327 |
Gaza Barracks | |||||||
Bourlon Barracks | |||||||
Somme Barracks | |||||||
Marne Barracks | |||||||
RM Stonehouse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The total number of callouts for Helles Barracks, Gaza Barracks, Bourlon Barracks, Somme Barracks, Marne Barracks and RM Stonehouse for maintenance issues since April 2022, excluding callouts to SFA, are shown in the table below:
Location | Roofing | Loss Heating & Hot Water | Electrical | Pest Control | Damp & Mould | TOTAL | ||
Only Heating | Only Hot Water | Both | ||||||
Helles Barracks | 259 | 307 | 277 | 22 | 1692 | 163 | 60 | 2780 |
Gaza Barracks | 29 | 102 | 110 | 4 | 277 | 40 | 18 | 580 |
Bourlon Barracks | 31 | 46 | 94 | 2 | 155 | 27 | 5 | 360 |
Somme Barracks | 23 | 105 | 97 | 2 | 112 | 21 | 2 | 362 |
Marne Barracks | 83 | 150 | 333 | 11 | 502 | 39 | 61 | 1179 |
RM Stonehouse | 109 | 102 | 91 | 2 | 246 | 34 | 34 | 618 |