Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environment Agency's document entitled National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024, updated on 22 January 2025, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of insurance premiums for (a) households (b) businesses and (c) public buildings following the publication of that document.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Insurers consider a range of factors in setting premiums for insurance policies that include cover against flooding. This will include factors such as previous claims history, as well as future risk of flooding. Insurance companies may use Environment Agency data, alongside their own commercially available modelling to inform their assessment of the risk. The decision to insure a property is a commercial decision made by the insurer.
I work closely with the insurance industry, for example, through the Floods Resilience Taskforce, which includes an Action Group focused on improving flood insurance provision and uptake, and the Insurance Roundtables, most recently held on 13 October, where leaders discussed how insurers can support customers to access affordable cover and improve experiences at the point of claim.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
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 impact of proposed water-saving measures on water availability in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.
The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills.
The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to evaluate the long-term impact of proposed water-saving measures on water consumption.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.
The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills.
The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what metrics her Department will use to assess the effectiveness of water-saving measures in new homes.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.
The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills.
The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department plans to provide to developers to implement proposed water efficiency standards.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are consulting on tighter water efficiency standards for new homes in Building Regulations. Within this we have assessed the policy’s impact on home construction and will be considering developer responses to enable a smooth transition. Our assessment considered the policy at a national level and not specifically its impact on Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. Industry research found the cost of water efficiency is low for developers in comparison with the cost of development blockages caused by subsequent water scarcity. The cost of retrofitting water efficient devices is around £40-100 and can be offset by the incentives offered to developers by water companies.
The proposed measures will unlock stalled developments in areas of water scarcity and could unlock 1,000 homes for every 5,250 built, while saving households over £100 a year on bills.
The Government response to the consultation will outline how we propose to monitor and evaluate the final policy.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 Environment Agency’s enforcement and sanctions policy, updated 2 October 2025; and whether she has discussed this document with the Environment Agency's board since her appointment.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency’s (EA) principal aim is to protect and enhance the environment and contribute to sustainable development.
The EA’s enforcement and sanctions policy, last updated on 10 October 2025, sets out how the organisation aims to use its enforcement powers efficiently and effectively to secure compliance with laws that protect the environment.
The department works closely with EA officials at every level to assess performance and delivery and provide constructive challenge and support.
Defra ministers meet regularly with the EA Chair and Chief Executive to discuss performance across the EA’s remit.
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, what her planned timetable is for the abolition of Ofwat.
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: Lauren Sullivan (Labour - Gravesham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to (a) amend legislation and (b) increase local authority enforcement powers relating to fly-tipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available for fly-tipping which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing of vehicles and prosecution through the courts which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. We will provide an update on this commitment in due course.
We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers through the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of local authority powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.
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.