Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of pollution incidents in the Thames Valley were attended by an official from the Environment Agency in 2024, and by what percentage they expect these inspections to rise in 2025.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency assesses all reported pollution incidents and targets officer attendance at those posing the highest risk to the environment with 71% of serious and significant water industry pollution incidents being attended in the Thames Area. Attendance in person is not the Environment Agency's only response to reported pollution incidents. For those incidents with low environmental risk, advice and guidance may be provided remotely, and in some cases partners such as the fire service will respond where they are best placed to mitigate the impacts of an incident. The Environment Agency expects a similar level of pollution incident attendance in 2025 but will keep this under regular review.
The Environment Agency recognises that more needs to be done to hold polluters to account and is investing in 500 additional staff to increase regulation of the water industry. The Environment Agency aims to attend all confirmed serious and significant pollution incidents and to increase its attendance at low risk water company pollution incidents.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have given permission to Thames Water to commence work on the proposed reservoir near Abingdon.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has allowed Thames Water to finalise its Water Resources Management Plan, which includes the Abingdon Reservoir (South East Strategic Reservoir Option) proposal. The South East Strategic Reservoir Option meets the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project criteria and would need development consent, under the Planning Act 2008, as well as relevant environmental permits before it can be constructed.
Development consent decisions are subject to public examination undertaken by an independent Planning Inspector and require approval by the Secretary of State. An Environmental Impact Assessment will be required, showing the potential impacts and how they will be mitigated to inform the decisions.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they assess that Thames Water is making the necessary investments in sewage treatment facilities to clean up the River Thames.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At Draft Determination, Ofwat propose to allow Thames Water to undertake a significant investment programme to improve the environment over the 2025-30 period worth £1.9 billion. This includes £1.1 billion to reduce nutrient pollution and £517 million to reduce the use of storm overflows, including around the Thames and its tributaries. Ofwat is considering Thames Water’s response to DDs and will make Final Determinations later this year.
Sewage infrastructure upgrades are the responsibility of the water company. As part of the Environment Act 2021, a new duty has been created for water companies in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs).
These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the drainage and wastewater network and develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues. The plans will bring together various stakeholders including local authorities and industry regulators.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 9 August (HL387), how much high-quality land has been lost for the use of agricultural production in the last ten years for which figures are available.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England commissioned a review in 2023 to assess the loss of agricultural land to development, with a particular focus on Best and Most Versatile (BMV) land between 2013 and 2022. The report is expected to be published online by early 2025.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative cost of (1) peat free compost, and (2) compost incorporating peat; and what steps they are taking to reduce the cost of peat free materials to gardeners.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
In the recently published England Peat Action Plan we have committed to undertake a full consultation in 2021 on banning the sale of peat and peat containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament. As part of that consultation, we will be considering opportunities to reduce both the costs and availability of alternatives to peat in growing media.
As outlined in the Action Plan, the Government is committed to working with the industry to understand the implications of our proposals, identify blockages and to working with the private sector to develop and enact solutions, thus making the transition to peat alternatives as seamless as possible.
The England Peat Action Plan is attached.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 29 January (HL608), whether the Environment Agency has prosecuted Thames Water in relation to incidents of polluting the River Thames or its tributaries since the beginning of 2020.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
There have been no prosecutions of Thames Water for pollution to the Thames or its tributaries in 2020.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 29 January (HL608), what powers exist to curtail housing developments in the Thames Valley until sufficient capacity for treating sewage has been developed by Thames Water.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Water Industry Act 1991 places a duty on water and sewerage companies to provide, maintain and extend a system of public sewers to ensure that the area is and continues to be effectually drained. Water and sewerage companies and the Environment Agency are statutory consultees on local authority development plans, which provide the primary means of determining where future development should be located, including in respect of wastewater infrastructure. Local councils in their role as local planning authorities adjudicate on individual planning applications which, under planning law, must be decided in accordance with the development plan, subject to other material planning considerations. Water and sewerage companies can comment on individual applications and their representations should be taken into account by the planning authority where they raise material planning considerations.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions the Environment Agency has prosecuted Thames Water for illegal discharges of untreated sewage into the River Thames or its tributaries in the last five years for which figures are available; and in what instances a penalty was imposed as a result of any such prosecution.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The table below shows the prosecutions of Thames Water Utilities Limited by the Environment Agency during the five calendar year period (from 2015 to 2019) for illegal discharges of sewage to the River Thames and its direct and indirect tributaries.
Each row of the chart represents one prosecution. The watercourse related to the prosecution is shown in the centre column, and the type of penalty which resulted from the prosecution is shown in the right-hand column.
Table title: Prosecution of Thames Water Utilities Limited by the Environment Agency, 2015 to 2019, for sewage discharges to direct and indirect tributaries to the River Thames | ||
Date of Prosecution | Name of Water Course | Outcome |
16/02/2015 | River Blackwater | Fined |
29/08/2014 [03/06/2015] | River Enborne, Chase Brook and nearby watercourses | Fined |
04/01/2016 | Grand Union Canal | Fined |
07/03/2016 | Horsenden Stream | Fined |
22/03/2017 | Fawley Court Stream | Fined |
22/03/2017 | River Thames | Fined |
22/03/2017 | River Thames | Fined |
22/03/2017 | Moor Ditch | Fined |
22/03/2017 | River Thames | Fined |
22/03/2017 | Barkham Brook | Fined |
10/07/2019 | Maidenhead Ditch and River Cut | Fined |
21/12/2018 [26/07/2019] | Idbury Brook | Fined |
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times OFWAT has fined Thames Water for illegal discharges of untreated sewage into rivers; and what penalties were imposed on each occasion.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Ofwat has not fined Thames Water for illegal discharges of untreated sewage into rivers. Regulation of discharges of untreated sewage to the water environment is the responsibility of the Environment Agency (EA) and not Ofwat.
In March 2017, Thames Water was ordered to pay fines of almost £20 million following a series of significant pollution incidents on the River Thames and its tributaries in 2012 to 2014. The fine, for six separate cases, was a record as the highest ever set by the courts in a prosecution brought by the EA. More recently, in July 2019, Thames Water was ordered to pay costs and fines of about £700,000 for pollution from Maidenhead Sewage Treatment Works.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the damage caused to footpaths and bridleways in the Lake District National Park; and what measures are available to park authorities to remedy such damage.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.