Wera Hobhouse (Bath) (LD)
Last night the Environment Secretary chose to say on ITV that there is “misinformation” about sewage being dumped into our rivers, rather than acknowledging the problem. That is really insulting. People have been made sick after swimming in raw sewage. It is a serious and disgusting stain on our country, yet the Environment Secretary blames “misinformation” for the scandal. May we have a debate in Government time, led by the Environment Secretary, on the alleged misinformation of sewage reporting, including why thousands of sewage monitors are broken?
Penny Mordaunt
When we came into office, just 6% of storm overflows were monitored. That figure is now 100%. But I know that there are issues, which are different in different areas, with the monitoring systems.
[Official Report, 18 May 2023, Vol. 732, c. 969.]
Letter of correction from the Leader of the House:
An error has been identified in the response I gave to the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) at business questions.
The correct response should have been:
Penny Mordaunt
When we came into office, just 7% of storm overflows were monitored. That figure is now 100%. But I know that there are issues, which are different in different areas, with the monitoring systems.