Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered using multi-year rolling averages to measure progress on reducing storm overflow discharges.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) considers seasonal variations, including periods of low river flow, when setting and reviewing environmental permits for water discharge and groundwater activities under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
Where evidence shows that changing flow patterns, such as more frequent or prolonged low flows, affect environmental risk, the EA can review and vary permits accordingly.
Defra keeps permitting approaches under review, taking account of evolving hydrological data, climate change projections, and wider environmental objectives to ensure permits remain protective, proportionate, and responsive to changing pressures.
The Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan spill frequency targets for storm overflows (ecological, bathing and rainfall targets) are defined as an average over 10 consecutive years. It is recognised that a 10-year assessment requires significant time to determine permit compliance and therefore, to secure early identification of underperforming storm overflows, the EA may use a shorter-term regulatory compliance assessment.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Public First report entitled From risk to resilience - the case for flood-resilient communities, economy and growth, published in March 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is investing at least a record £10.5 billion until 2036 – the largest flood programme in history which is projected to benefit nearly 900,000 properties. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to long-term funding as recommended by the Public First report.
Also, in line with the report’s recommendations, the Government is exploring setting a long-term multi-decade target for flood risk management and has announced a new flood funding policy that will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding rules.
The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use Government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of Government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 will take steps to provide (a) financial support and (b) incentives for (i) developers and (ii) households to install water-saving devices.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government works with Ofwat who offer financial environmental incentives for developers to meet certain water efficiency standards.
On 23 September we launched a consultation to consider tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in the Building Regulations. We are working with Ofwat to ensure that environmental incentives in the future align with the ambition set out in this consultation and are considering how we can support developers as part of the £25 million fund held by Ofwat to fund a Water Efficiency Lab which aims to encourage innovation across the sector and is from November focusing on actionable insights for consumers.
To support households to reduce their water usage we are rolling out mandatory water efficiency label to ensure consumers can make informed decisions on their purchases, this will align with existing incentives for consumers to install water saving devices including free devices from water companies and the incoming £100 million Water Efficiency Campaign from Ofwat.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any flood defence infrastructure projects in Huntingdon constituency would be eligible for upgrades through the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Programme.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is investing more than £10.5 billion by the end of 2036 to protect the country against the threat of flooding and coastal erosion.
Projects from the Huntingdon constituency and all constituencies across the country will be able to benefit from this funding and apply to upgrade their defences under new spending rules, announced 14 October. The reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding rules. This will increase investor confidence, close funding gaps, and reduce administrative burdens on local communities.
Around 10 projects in Huntington have already benefitted from funding this financial year, including £1.035 million for Alconbury Flood Alleviation Scheme, £694k for St Ives Sluice Moderation Project and £275k for Flood Storage Options for Great Ouse Catchment.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 5 June 2025 to Question 52410 on Sewers, when she plans to commence Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is strongly committed to requiring standardised SuDS in new developments.
We believe that these outcomes can be achieved through either improving the current planning led approach using powers now available or commencing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 has a set timeline for achieving Good Ecological Status for all waterbodies in England.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), transposed into our law through the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) 2017, has an overall goal to aim to achieve Good Ecological Status (GES) for surface water by December 2027, subject to certain exemptions. Applying the exemptions provided for in WFD represents 77% of England’s water bodies to achieve GES. These goals set a very challenging ambition for the UK as WFD does for most European countries.
The Government acknowledged last year in response to the Office of Environmental Protection’s report on Water Framework Directive Regulations that there had not been enough progress towards the Framework's goal over the last 15 years. Since then, the Government launched the Independent Water Commission, to consider how the current regulatory framework could be improved to drive progress and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. The Government will be setting out its plans to do this in the coming period.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) what recent assessment her Department has made of adequacy of the ecological health of chalk streams; and (b) what steps she is taking to meet Environment Act 2021 targets for their recovery.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Environment Act 2021, a legally binding target was set to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from agriculture entering the water environment by 40% by 2038. We have committed to a review of the Environmental Improvement Plan which will set out how Defra will deliver our ambitious Environment Act targets to clean up our waterways.
This Government is already taking action to restore our chalk streams to better ecological health. Our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan ensures chalk streams are prioritised for improvement as part of the record £11 billion investment to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows in England and Wales. We are reducing the risk of harmful abstraction by an estimated 126 million litres daily by 2030 through the amendment of water company abstraction licences, protecting vital water flows to these fragile ecosystems.
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward a Water Reform Bill.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will publish a White Paper and introduce a new water reform bill, early this parliament, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment, and restore trust and accountability. As part of this reform the Government has committed to create a single powerful regulator responsible for the entire water sector. Ofwat will be abolished, and the new regulator will take responsibility of water functions across Ofwat, Environment Agency, Natural England and Drinking Water Inspectorate.
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish a water reform white paper.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will publish a White Paper and introduce a new water reform bill, early this parliament, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment, and restore trust and accountability. As part of this reform the Government has committed to create a single powerful regulator responsible for the entire water sector. Ofwat will be abolished, and the new regulator will take responsibility of water functions across Ofwat, Environment Agency, Natural England and Drinking Water Inspectorate.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Independent - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to increase nature-rich spaces by rivers to (a) reduce agricultural pollution and (b) protect and (c) enhance chalk streams.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to addressing the multiple pressures facing chalk streams and restoring them to better ecological health. This Government has announced an ambitious programme of reforms to clean up our rivers, lakes, and seas for good: we will ensure that chalk streams benefit from this era of reform.
Our Environmental Land Management schemes funding will increase by 150% to £2 billion by 2028/2029, providing incentives for farmers and land managers to farm more sustainably – six of our Landscape Recovery projects are being developed in chalk stream catchments.
Additionally, we have committed to a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan which will set out how Defra will deliver our legally binding targets. The Government will develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment with delivery plans to meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets.