Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many solicitor vacancies there were in the Environment Agency Area facing legal services teams in 2008, 2014, 2020 and 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The table below shows the number of solicitors employed by the Environment Agency in the Area facing legal services teams in 2020 and 2026, and the number of vacant lawyer posts that were being held during these years.
The Environment Agency does not hold data for 2008, and it has insufficient data for 2014.
Year | Number of solicitors employed in Area facing teams | Number of vacant lawyer posts |
2020 | 52 (47.36 Full Time Equivalent) | 4 |
2026 | 66 (52.69 Full Time Equivalent) | 6 |
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many solicitors were employed by the Environment Agency in the Area facing legal services teams in 2008, 2014, 2020 and 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The table below shows the number of solicitors employed by the Environment Agency in the Area facing legal services teams in 2020 and 2026, and the number of vacant lawyer posts that were being held during these years.
The Environment Agency does not hold data for 2008, and it has insufficient data for 2014.
Year | Number of solicitors employed in Area facing teams | Number of vacant lawyer posts |
2020 | 52 (47.36 Full Time Equivalent) | 4 |
2026 | 66 (52.69 Full Time Equivalent) | 6 |
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 undertaken an analysis to assess whether using Regulated Capital Value to measure water company values provides the most accurate measure of their value since July 2024.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2026 to PQ UIN 120291.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the costs of the transition set out in the Water White Paper from four water regulators to one.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Across all our reforms the goal is to deliver our key outcomes - environment, customers, investability - in the most effective and efficient way possible to ensure lasting value.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of requiring all water company incidents to be attended.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The EA already operates a robust, risk-based system to respond to pollution incidents. The increase in inspections, including unannounced inspections, will allow the EA to conduct more in-depth and independent audits to get to the root-cause of incidents, reducing the reliance on operator self-monitoring.
Government has committed to ending ‘operator self-monitoring’ so water companies will no longer mark their own homework on pollution incidents. Initial cost information on ending ‘operator self-monitoring' has been provided by the Environment Agency, and we will do further work to develop a detailed and comprehensive assessment as we move to Open Monitoring.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of ending operator self-monitoring in the water industry.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The EA already operates a robust, risk-based system to respond to pollution incidents. The increase in inspections, including unannounced inspections, will allow the EA to conduct more in-depth and independent audits to get to the root-cause of incidents, reducing the reliance on operator self-monitoring.
Government has committed to ending ‘operator self-monitoring’ so water companies will no longer mark their own homework on pollution incidents. Initial cost information on ending ‘operator self-monitoring' has been provided by the Environment Agency, and we will do further work to develop a detailed and comprehensive assessment as we move to Open Monitoring.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for the 28 enforcement undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency from water companies between 26 July 2024 and 12 February 2026, if there was a recommendation to prosecute from the investigating officers in any of the cases.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There have been 31 enforcement undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency from water companies between 26 July 2024 and 12 February 2026 as detailed below. Of these, 20 have been closed. 5 have a prosecution recommendation by an Investigating Officer. The Environment Agency is unable to provide additional information for the remaining 11 as they are related to active investigations.
In all 5 cases, the EU offers were received after the Investigating Officer recommended prosecution. Environment Agency officers can recommend prosecution but the final decision on the sanction used is made at a more senior level, in conjunction with Lawyers and in line with the Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy - GOV.UK.
EU REF | Company | Date of Acceptance |
EU516 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 18/09/2024 |
EU593 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 20/09/2024 |
EU745 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 24/09/2024 |
EU983 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 01/10/2024 |
EU936 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 05/12/2024 |
EU915 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 24/12/2024 |
EU984 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 30/12/2024 |
EU1064 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 30/12/2024 |
EU886 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 06/01/2025 |
EU1008 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 17/01/2025 |
EU947 | United Utilities Water Limited | 22/01/2025 |
EU821 | Wessex Water Services Ltd | 30/01/2025 |
EU1122 | United Utilities Water Limited | 24/02/2025 |
EU1089 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 29/05/2025 |
EU1147 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 02/07/2025 |
EU1086 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 24/07/2025 |
EU1095 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 25/07/2025 |
EU1149 | Wessex Water Services Ltd | 08/08/2025 |
EU1059 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 29/09/2025 |
EU1091 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 29/09/2025 |
EU1167 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 29/09/2025 |
EU1131 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 30/09/2025 |
EU1148 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 04/11/2025 |
EU1172 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 11/11/2025 |
EU1154 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 02/12/2025 |
EU1151 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 16/12/2025 |
EU843 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 18/12/2025 |
EU1152 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 19/01/2026 |
EU868 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 09/02/2026 |
EU1099 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 09/02/2026 |
EU1159 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 10/02/2026 |
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for the 28 enforcement undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency from water companies between 26 July 2024 and 12 February 2026, what criteria was used in the decision not to prosecute.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There have been 31 enforcement undertakings accepted by the Environment Agency from water companies between 26 July 2024 and 12 February 2026 as detailed below. Decisions regarding prosecution are made in line with the Environment Agency enforcement and sanctions policy - GOV.UK. The Enforcement and Sanctions Policy outlines the options available to the Environment Agency alongside how it makes enforcement decisions.
EU REF | Company | Date of Acceptance |
EU516 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 18/09/2024 |
EU593 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 20/09/2024 |
EU745 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 24/09/2024 |
EU983 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 01/10/2024 |
EU936 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 05/12/2024 |
EU915 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 24/12/2024 |
EU984 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 30/12/2024 |
EU1064 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 30/12/2024 |
EU886 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 06/01/2025 |
EU1008 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 17/01/2025 |
EU947 | United Utilities Water Limited | 22/01/2025 |
EU821 | Wessex Water Services Ltd | 30/01/2025 |
EU1122 | United Utilities Water Limited | 24/02/2025 |
EU1089 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 29/05/2025 |
EU1147 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 02/07/2025 |
EU1086 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 24/07/2025 |
EU1095 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 25/07/2025 |
EU1149 | Wessex Water Services Ltd | 08/08/2025 |
EU1059 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 29/09/2025 |
EU1091 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 29/09/2025 |
EU1167 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 29/09/2025 |
EU1131 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 30/09/2025 |
EU1148 | Anglian Water Services Ltd | 04/11/2025 |
EU1172 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 11/11/2025 |
EU1154 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 02/12/2025 |
EU1151 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 16/12/2025 |
EU843 | Thames Water Utilities Ltd | 18/12/2025 |
EU1152 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 19/01/2026 |
EU868 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 09/02/2026 |
EU1099 | Severn Trent Water Limited | 09/02/2026 |
EU1159 | Yorkshire Water Services Limited | 10/02/2026 |
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 provide the names of the members of the Working Groups cites in A New Vision for Water (2026).
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A wide range of stakeholders were consulted on reforms through the Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence, which received over 50,000 responses.
Whilst there was not a formal working group for the White Paper, ahead of publication we engaged with stakeholders across the water system, including investors, water companies, consumer groups, regulators and environmental groups.
We will continue to work constructively with interested parties on reforms and consult on specific measures as needed.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 publish the list of Working Groups cited in A New Vision for Water (2026).
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A wide range of stakeholders were consulted on reforms through the Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence, which received over 50,000 responses.
Whilst there was not a formal working group for the White Paper, ahead of publication we engaged with stakeholders across the water system, including investors, water companies, consumer groups, regulators and environmental groups.
We will continue to work constructively with interested parties on reforms and consult on specific measures as needed.