Oral Answers to Questions
Emma Hardy Excerpts(1 day, 14 hours ago)
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Josh Babarinde (Eastbourne) (LD)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
We are committed to supporting coastal communities, and that is why, between April 2024 and March 2026, over £600 million has been invested in protection from sea flooding, tidal flooding and coastal erosion.
Josh Babarinde
Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne is the only marina of its kind in Europe; thousands of residents, rather than the Government, have to cover the cost of sea defences through an annual charge. The charge this year increased by 16%—way more than inflation—and there is poor transparency as to why. Will the Minister meet me and representatives of the amazing Sovereign Harbour Residents Association, who are in the Gallery, to hear more about the issues with the harbour charge, and to help us secure a fairer arrangement?
Emma Hardy
The annual sea defence charge is a legal obligation that was placed on property owners in Sovereign Harbour in 1988, so it was introduced under Thatcher and was unchanged under the coalition. It contributes to the maintenance of the harbour and the sea defences on the south coast between Pevensey Bay and Eastbourne. We spent nearly £5 million this year, and plan to invest over £100 million over the next decade. Of that £5 million, £400,000 comes from the rent charge in 2026-27. We have also secured record funding of £1.4 billion for over 600 flood schemes across all regions in England.
Brian Mathew (Melksham and Devizes) (LD)
Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
I take this opportunity to congratulate the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on the excellent progress made on reducing air pollution in London, which was recently identified as one of 19 leading cities in reducing air pollution. Communities across England will benefit from cleaner air, thanks to our actions to tackle fine particulate pollution, which harms public health and is linked to asthma, lung conditions and heart disease. We will deliver that by modernising industrial permitting, exploring tighter standards for new wood-burning appliances to protect public health, and increasing communication of air-quality information.
Siân Berry
I published the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill, also known as Ella’s law, this month alongside the Ella Roberta Foundation, Mums for Lungs, Clean Air in London, Asthma and Lung UK and Global Action Plan. Together, we affirmed that the right to breathe clean air is a fundamental human right. Does the Minister agree that the Government should include this vital, life-saving legislation in the upcoming King’s Speech, to give clean air the statutory momentum it requires?
Emma Hardy
I thank the hon. Lady, and pay tribute to Rosamund for the campaigning that she has been doing on this for years. Of course, I support the objectives of improving air quality and cleaning up air pollution, and agree with the hon. Lady on how important that is to public health. That is why we are already taking action to deliver meaningful improvements to air quality, through commitments and actions set out in the environmental improvement plan.
Matt Western (Warwick and Leamington) (Lab)
The Minister will know that in Warwick and Leamington, we have suffered extreme chemical pollution in the atmosphere from Berry Polymers. More recently, we have had an application from Bellway Homes that proposes dumping the equivalent of an Olympic-size swimming pool of building waste for every day that the development is being built, which will be several years. The common theme here is, of course, the Environment Agency, so will she agree to meet me and the Environment Agency urgently to resolve this pressing issue?
Emma Hardy
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this. I know how important it is for him and his community to see that we clean up our rivers, lakes and seas, and he has been campaigning on this for a long time. Of course, I would be delighted to meet him.
Dame Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/Co-op)
David Smith (North Northumberland) (Lab)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
On Tuesday, I was delighted to announce the biggest ever flood programme; we are investing £1.4 billion across 2026-27 in over 600 flood schemes across all regions of England. The Government are investing at least £10.5 billion to 2036 in building new flood schemes and strengthening existing defences, and that record funding will protect 900,000 properties over the next decade.
David Smith
I warmly welcome the funding just announced, including for areas in my constituency—Budle bay, Belford and areas along the Coquet river. The national assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk assessment says that one in four homes are projected to be at risk of flooding by 2050. Will the Minister give us further assurances about what the Government will do on an ongoing basis to address those concerns?
Emma Hardy
I know how much my hon. Friend cares about this issue. As well as announcing the biggest ever major flood investment, we are also changing the flood and coastal erosion funding policy. As part of those changes, at least 20% of future investment will be set aside to help the most deprived communities. The reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver flood defences, and ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We are also investing at least £300 million in natural flood management over the next 10 years.
John Glen (Salisbury) (Con)
Salisbury has benefited enormously from investment in the river park scheme, which has alleviated flood risk to the centre of the city. My attention now turns to the villages, the role that farmers and agricultural land can play in effective flood defence, and the consequential impact on food supply. How does the Minister view the role of farmers in a collaborative approach to flood defences?
Emma Hardy
The right hon. Gentleman raises an important point. Quite often, we find that flooding farmland is used to protect villages and rural communities. I have been thinking about the best way to take this issue forward, after meeting a farmer when I went to Somerset, and seeing the extensive flooding right across his land. We have put £91 million into internal drainage boards, which is the most money that has ever gone into trying to support farmers in draining agricultural land. I am actively considering this issue, and am having conversations about it at the moment.
Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby) (Lab)
Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
I have said this previously, but it is always worth reiterating. On Tuesday I announced the biggest ever flood programme, with £1.4 billion investment in 2026-27, over £1million of which will go to projects in Esher and Walton.
Monica Harding
The Thames runs the length of my constituency, making flooding a significant issue. The Thames Ditton flood group has brilliantly secured funding for temporary flood barriers but cannot deploy them because, despite its efforts, it is unable to obtain public liability insurance. It has contacted Flood Re, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association and the local flood authority, but there is no viable public liability insurance. The group has explored and exhausted all leads provided by the Environment Agency. What does the Minister suggest to the Thames Ditton flood group to enable it to get insurance so that it can use the flood barrier?
Emma Hardy
I pay tribute to all the flood groups up and down the country and those volunteers who do so much to add to our flood resilience. If the hon. Lady would like to write to me specifically about that matter, I will have a think about which agency is the best one to help. We want to enable more people to help with our flood resilience and response, not make it too difficult.
Leigh Ingham (Stafford) (Lab)
Although the Minister knows that good progress has been made by my flooding taskforce on Sandon Road in Stafford—we have cleared the brook and the installation of a non-return valve is planned—a long-term fix will likely require Government investment. Can she please say a little more about the new schemes, and how new flood groups such as mine can access some of the funding?
Emma Hardy
I was delighted to visit my hon. Friend’s constituency to speak to some of the people who have been impacted by flooding, and to see the area for myself. She has been a formidable champion on this issue, and of course we will continue to have those conversations to ensure that we do everything we can to protect as many people as possible from the devastation of flooding.
Munira Wilson (Twickenham) (LD)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
It is incredibly distressing to hear of people falling ill when using our bathing waters. One reform that we are looking at—being led by Chris Whitty—is about public health and water. We want to ensure that when we are making reforms to the water industry, we do so through the lens of thinking about it as a public health issue as well as a pollution issue. We must take action so that we do not continue to see people falling ill after using our beautiful bathing waters.
Ben Goldsborough (South Norfolk) (Lab)
Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)
Emma Hardy
The short answer is yes. The Minister for Housing and I sit on the water delivery taskforce, which considers whether we have the water we need where we need it. We have done some heatmapping to find areas of stress, and have committed to building nine new reservoirs—none has been built over the past 30 years. We also sit on the Ox-Cam group, looking at areas where there is acute stress, to ensure that we have the water security required to deliver growth, support our environment and build the homes that we need.
Daniel Francis (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Lab)
Although they appreciate the need to put right the failings of the past, my constituents continue to raise concerns about Thames Water’s price increase last year. Will the Minister assure them that Thames Water is being held to account and will provide information to customers about how local infrastructure will be improved?
Emma Hardy
I share my hon. Friend’s anger about the poor service that many people receive from Thames Water. I can absolutely assure him that Thames Water is being held to account—a record £122 million fine was issued by Ofwat only a few months ago.
Steve Barclay (North East Cambridgeshire) (Con)
After a serious pollution incident, the Environment Agency produces a help report, which is shared with the Secretary of State’s officials, so she would have been notified of the category 1 pollution incident—the most serious rating—that occurred in September 2024 at Stanground, near Whittlesey in my constituency. No prosecution has been made, however. Why not?
Emma Hardy
I will be happy to look into the matter and get back to the right hon. Gentleman in writing.
Douglas McAllister (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab)
The organisation Surfers Against Sewage has just published its investigation of illegal dry spills by water companies in 2025. There were over 204,000 hours of illegal sewage spills in England last year. The situation in Scotland is no better: Scottish Water faces little accountability, with just 30% of overflows monitored and 70% unreported. Will the Government take tougher action to ensure that water companies are held properly to account?
Emma Hardy
In England we are absolutely holding those companies to account by banning bonuses, abolishing Ofwat, and introducing over 10,000 inspections for water companies. Sadly, our power does not extend to Scotland. I can only hope that the SNP continues to follow our lead.
Chris Law (Dundee Central) (SNP)
The fishing and coastal growth fund saw an utterly meagre £28 million devolved to Scotland and £304 million allocated to England, even though Scotland represents 60% of fishing capacity in the UK. Despite the Government’s inability to understand basic arithmetic, is the Minister considering mitigations to ensure that Scotland’s fishing industry and coastal communities can thrive?
Flooding: Rural Communities
Emma Hardy Excerpts(2 days, 14 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
It is a pleasure to respond to the debate. I thank the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns) for initiating it, and for giving me an opportunity to outline the steps that the Government are taking to reduce flood risk and strengthen resilience in rural communities.
We began 2026 with record levels of rainfall in some parts of the country. Following Storm Chandra, I visited Somerset on 10 February with a Conservative Member, and witnessed the devastating impacts of flooding at first hand when one of the farmers took me in his tractor to see what had happened. What I saw could be described as flooding, but his farmland was basically under a lake. We had a good and helpful conversation about it, and I was particularly struck by what he said about the extra things that he did to support his community, in the way that the hon. Lady described. The farmers were there, helping people to go to the shops or to pick up their post. They were providing that additional service because they care about the communities of which they are part.
Sir Ashley Fox
I was grateful for the Minister’s visit to Somerset, but does she accept that when the Environment Agency announces that it is withdrawing from main river maintenance and will stop dredging the River Parrett, that is exactly the sort of action that contributes to the devastating flooding that she witnessed?
Emma Hardy
I will not make this about Somerset, I promise, but we had a very good conversation with the Environment Agency, the internal drainage boards and members of the council during that visit. We talked about the use of temporary pumps when a threshold is met, and discussed whether the threshold needs to be re-evaluated. Some really positive work is being done, with people looking into what has happened and what needs to be done. I hope that we shall be able to say a bit more about that in the coming weeks, but it was a very useful conversation. There was a willingness around the table to think about how we could get it right in an area that is very difficult and challenging to deal with because it is so flat, and relies so much on the use of pumps to move water around. The question of maintenance was discussed as well.
I want to acknowledge the vital work of local authorities, emergency services, members of the internal drainage boards, the voluntary community, the faith sector, and others who responded to the floods in Somerset, Dorset and other locations. The good news is that 24,500 properties were protected by the Environment Agency, but that, of course, is little consolation for the people whose properties were flooded. I also want to express my personal sympathies to all those who have been affected.
On Monday we held our sixth meeting of floods resilience taskforce, which is a fantastic group that brings everyone together. It includes the internal drainage boards, but also the Association of British Insurers, Flood Re and the flood action groups, which bring lived experience of flooding to the conversations. We bring everyone together for the flood action groups, and then there are task groups who go off and do work between the big meetings, such as looking at the experience of people from the point at which their properties have been flooded to the point at which they return to their properties. One of the questions that I want to ask is, “Where are the pain points along the way, and where are the difficulties?”
Once this is all set up and official, I should like all Members to feed in their experiences so we can identify the difficult points. I had a great conversation with Aviva last Thursday when I went to visit a house that had been improved through Build Back Better. Those people had had a wonderful experience, following the devastating thing that had happened, but we know that that is not universal.
George Freeman
The Minister has mentioned Aviva, one of Norfolk’s great companies and the biggest insurer of houses in the country. Has she seen its recent report, in which it calculates that about 4.78 million houses are at serious risk of flooding over the next 10 years? I congratulate he on securing the funding in the autumn, which I think was going to protect 60,000 houses, but does she agree that the Treasury should be thinking very deeply about the scale of this challenge in the context of national resilience?
Emma Hardy
The hon. Member prompts me to mention the biggest ever, greatest, most fantastic and largest investment in flood defences that this Government have just announced. On a more serious note, yes, Aviva did talk to me about that report, as he would imagine. We had a conversation about it and, without straying too much out of my remit and into planning, I believe that such conversations are ongoing with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Steve Barclay
The Minister invited hon. Members to present pain points, so perhaps I can share one from my time in her Department. Natural England’s gold-plating of some of its statutory objectives often seemed at odds with the ministerial steers that were given. Does she feel she has sufficient control over the direction of Natural England in delivering the sort of actions that I am sure she discussed at the taskforce?
Emma Hardy
I would not want to advise the right hon. Gentleman, but I think hearts and minds is always a good way to win things in the Department. I do feel confident. There is a conversation about dredging, and the question of whether it is appropriate often comes up. When I have conversations with those from the Environment Agency, their response to me is, “It depends.” It depends on the river, it depends on where the flooding is, and it depends whether we want to move something quickly. Certainly, from everything they have told me, there is not a set policy against something; they just want to do what is best in the area. Of course, if hon. Members have examples that they want me to follow up, I am happy to hear them.
Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)
We are still waiting for delivery of the River Thames scheme in my area. While that is happening, we would be very grateful for some dredging, because at the moment there is no River Thames flood alleviation scheme. Will the Minister take this opportunity to reconfirm the Government’s commitment to delivering the River Thames scheme, which affects my constituency but also the neighbouring constituency of Spelthorne?
Emma Hardy
Actually, I had a conversation about the hon. Gentleman earlier on. In my meeting with him, we spoke about the local response to the flooding, and about how we can bring things together when it does not meet the level of the local resilience forum. I acknowledge that he had really interesting ideas about how recovery can operate at a local level, so I might invite him to send those in to me when we look at those pain points.
Earlier today, from 5.30 to 6.30 pm—I am losing track of time—the Environment Agency had a drop-in session in the House. It invited all Members to go in and have conversations about what is happening with their schemes this year. There is a record amount of money, which is fantastic news, so this is a massive build year. There is so much capital spend and so many things being built this year. Quite a bit of money is also going into the development of future projects. I apologise that I do not have the hon. Gentleman’s scheme in front of me, but he should ask the Environment Agency where it is with the scheme. No projects have been cancelled; they are either in development or are being built, so it is probably best to have that conversation with the EA.
I will get back to the questions that the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford asked.
Matt Rodda
The Minister is making an excellent speech, but perhaps she would like to say a little bit about the importance of measures further upstream to protect my residents, and indeed those of the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Dr Spencer), in the River Thames catchment. It is obviously a huge catchment, and there are significant tributaries such as the Kennet, the Loddon and many others. In the past, she has referred to her interest in rewilding to manage the flood waters as they come down through the Thames, and in particular considering vegetation near rivers and various other measures to try to slow the flow of water.
Emma Hardy
It would not be a flooding debate without my hon. Friend’s contributions. I know how much he cares about both restoring nature and doing what he can to alleviate flooding. The new formula, which kicks in on 1 April, puts greater emphasis on natural flood management and how we can increase the number of nature-based solutions to flooding, where appropriate. That is absolutely something that I want to achieve, because not only is it more affordable and good for nature, but it can help alleviate flooding. That is of course part of the wider picture, and I thank him.
Amanda Hack (North West Leicestershire) (Lab)
As in the constituency of the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns), one of the impacts in Leicestershire has been the sheer volume of water, and the villages in rural parts of Leicestershire have just felt left behind when it comes to money. I am grateful that Diseworth was selected this time round, but I would be really grateful to hear the Minister’s view about the impact on rural communities and how work can be done to make sure that rural communities do not feel left behind by flood works.
Emma Hardy
That is absolutely at the forefront of my mind. Having been to see some of the farmers this year and before the election, and having had those conversations, I am actively looking at what would be a good solution to support our rural communities, bearing in mind the comment that although there may be fewer properties, that does not lessen the impact.
For the constituency of the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford, the EA is developing a new hydraulic model and hydrology for the catchment to provide further information and a foundation for future flood risk management in the area. It would probably be helpful if the EA reached out to have a conversation with her to explain that in detail.
Just yesterday, we announced a £1.4 billion investment in flooding in 2026-27, which will help to protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and funding for more than 600 flood schemes across the country, including upgraded barriers, embankments and natural flood management projects that slow the flow, of which I am a huge fan. It includes £5.5 million for the lower risk debris screens project that will increase flood resilience in the hon. Member’s constituency and other Members’ constituencies, as part of wider investment across the east midlands. More than £260 million will be spent managing, maintaining and repairing EA assets, including those damaged by Storm Goretti and Storm Chandra, ensuring that vital protections remain strong when communities need them most. The investment forms part of the largest flood defence programme in English history, with at least £10.5 billion invested between 2024 and 2036 to protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure in every corner of the country from the growing threat of flooding.
I am very happy to take away the question on how quickly section 19 reports are done. I am always mindful of how hard-working our local councillors are. They need to do something well and in a timely way, and there can be a tension between the two, but is important that section 19 reports are completed as quickly as possible, so that we can really understand what has happened and hopefully do something to mitigate it in future.
On the point the hon. Lady made about council tax, I will have to take that to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Alicia Kearns
The Minister has been very generous with interventions. We are about to run out the clock. There were a few more questions and I would be very grateful if she would write to me on them. I know how diligently she fulfils her brief and I am really grateful to her for that, but it would be great to have answers to all the wider points I raised as well.
Emma Hardy
I am very happy to do that. Apologies; I normally listen out for the coughing that comes—[Interruption.] And there we have it!
In conclusion, the Government are committed to strengthening resilience to flooding. That not only keeps people safe, but supports economic growth in our rural and local communities across the country. By protecting businesses, reducing disruption and safeguarding jobs, these measures contribute to stability and growth in the face of increasing climate change and flood risk. The Government’s record investment in flood defences will benefit communities across the country.
Question put and agreed to.
Flood Defences: Investment
Emma Hardy Excerpts(3 days, 14 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
Storm Chandra brought heavy rain and flooding to the UK in January. I want to again acknowledge the vital work of local authorities which were badly impacted by the flooding, such as those in Somerset, Dorset and Teignbridge district. My thanks also to the vital work of the emergency services, members of the internal drainage boards, the voluntary community and faith sector, and others who responded. Approximately 24,500 properties were protected by Environment Agency assets across all locations.
This is not an isolated event. That is why in the last 18 months, this Government have built our resilience to these events.
As well as investing £2.65 billion in flood defences in our first two years, and funding actions to make farmland more resilient to the effects of flooding and climate change, we moved quickly once in Government to establish a flood resilience taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness.
The taskforce has been working since September 2024 and has reviewed readiness helping us be in a better position before the storms came, it’s also secured training for over 1,500 emergency responders, introduced an improved forecasting service for surface water flooding and a new risk vulnerability tool, to help better identify those communities most vulnerable to flooding. The taskforce includes DEFRA, Cabinet Office, MHCLG and DFT Ministers, representatives from the Environment Agency, Met Office, local resilience forums, and the National Farmers Union.
Yesterday, I chaired the sixth meeting of the full taskforce which focused on the national and local response to this autumn and winter’s flooding. We considered wider societal flood resilience, the Environment Agency’s refresh of its national floods and coastal erosion risk management strategy, and an update on progress of the implementation of the FloodReady report.
After more than a decade of under-investment by the previous Government in the flood defence schemes needed to protect our homes, this Labour Government are investing £4.2 billion over the next three years—2026-27 to 2028-29—to construct new flood defence schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country.
Today, I am pleased to announce how we will invest the £1.4 billion we secured for the first of those three years—2026-27—in over 600 flood defence schemes spanning every region of England.
The schemes include a range of different types of flood defence projects: natural flood management schemes, beach management, and the construction of major barriers to help protect coastal and inland communities.
To name just a few, £8 million will be invested in the Pevensey bay to Eastbourne coastal management scheme, helping to protect over 18,000 properties at risk from coastal flooding; £37 million will be invested into the second phase of the “Our City Our River” scheme, a major flood alleviation and regeneration programme along the River Derwent in Derby; and in the north-west, £15 million will be invested in the Preston and South Ribble flood risk management scheme. The scheme is designed to reduce flood risk and provide protection for around 5,000 homes and businesses and also includes measures to address climate change, enhance local environments, and support growth and regeneration in the surrounding communities.
A map and list of all the schemes that will receive funding in 2026-2027, published on gov.uk, demonstrates how this investment will benefit communities in every part of the country which is available in “Programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) schemes”:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/programme-of-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-schemes#full-publication-update-history
As well as funding new defences, our investment will fund the maintenance of our existing defences. More than £260 million will be spent in 2026-27 managing, maintaining and repairing Environment Agency assets, including those damaged by Storms Goretti and Chandra, ensuring vital protections remain strong when communities need them most.
Looking beyond 2026-27, the new flood defence investment programme will benefit 840,000 properties over the next 10 years and protect communities across the country from the devastating impacts of climate change. Backed by a record long-term capital investment of £7.9 billion, this will be the largest floods investment programme in history.
Through the delivery of natural flood management schemes, the new programme will also enhance our environment. And by unlocking house building, protecting businesses small and large, safeguarding innovation and increasing investor confidence, the new programme will drive economic growth.
The new programme includes several key changes and improvements from the previous one, helping us get the most from every pound of investment.
Thanks to a new funding policy announced in October 2025, funding will be simpler to apply for and there will be a wider spread of flood resilience interventions, including more sustainable drainage and property flood resilience projects as well as more natural flood management.
We have already stabilised the condition of our flood protection measures, arresting the decline seen during the previous 14 years. Recognising the growing pressure on existing assets, refurbishment of existing flood defences will be treated on an equal footing with new projects in the new programme, ensuring vital repairs that cannot be addressed through routine maintenance are eligible for the funding.
To bring in as much investment as possible, changes to the funding formula will also mean that securing funding from partners outside of Government make a proposed new flood defence project more likely to secure Government funding. This change, alongside efficiencies gained through the increased use of technology such as drones, satellites and artificial intelligence, will help make every £1 of Government investment in flood defences go even further.
Overall, this Government will invest more than £10.5 billion in flood defences by 2036, and this investment will see a remarkable return—for every £1 invested we expect to see around £8 of benefits.
This record investment into the biggest floods investment programme in history once again demonstrates that protecting communities around the country from flooding is a genuine priority for this Government. But this has been clear since the start.
[HCWS1406]
WaterSure
Emma Hardy Excerpts(1 week, 4 days ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
I am announcing proposed reforms to the affordability support scheme WaterSure—the first significant update to the scheme since 1999. This Government are committed to a fair, affordable, and accessible water system and we are acting to protect vulnerable families from rising bills.
WaterSure provides vital support for households with essential high-water usage, whether due to a medical condition or because three or more children live at home. More than 260,000 households currently save an average of £325 a year through the scheme.
We are introducing four key reforms to strengthen WaterSure which we intend to bring forward through a statutory instrument. These reforms will extend support, and remove unnecessary barriers:
First, we are widening eligibility to households receiving non-means tested disability benefit—Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, and Attendance Allowance—where a medical condition leads to high essential water use and household income is below an income threshold of £25,745—the income profile of a representative Universal Credit household with a disability. Over 50,000 additional households could benefit.
Second, we will ensure every WaterSure customer receives the strongest level of protection available by requiring water companies to apply the best discount possible for recipients, whichever is lower between the company’s average metered bill, or overall average bill. Around 130,000 households are expected to save more as a result.
Third, we are introducing a new single-occupier bill cap to correct a historic unfairness where single disabled households with high essential water use could not benefit from the existing average-household bill cap, despite similar medical needs. Over 50,000 individuals living alone with a disability are expected to save a further £100 per year.
Finally, we are removing the option for companies to require a medical practitioner’s certificate for conditions not individually listed in regulations. All companies already accept broader evidence, such as appointment letters or prescriptions. This change ensures that applicants are not deterred by unnecessary costs.
This Government are rebuilding a water system that is fairer, more transparent and more responsive to the needs of vulnerable customers. These reforms to WaterSure are an important step in delivering our mission to put consumers first and restore trust in our essential services.
[HCWS1386]
Storm Chandra and Flooding
Emma Hardy Excerpts(3 weeks, 4 days ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
Storm Chandra brought heavy rain to the UK on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 January. This was the seventh named storm overall to hit the UK so far for the 2025-26 storm season starting on 1 September. Storm Chandra closely followed Storm Ingrid, which brought heavy rain to southern areas of the UK the previous week.
As of the afternoon of Sunday 22 February, the Environment Agency reports that around 401 properties have flooded across England with 373 of these in Devon and Cornwall and Wessex EA areas, with a further 28 in other parts of Hampshire, Herefordshire and Yorkshire. This is in addition to extensive farmland and some local infrastructure flooding. Approximately 24,500 properties have been protected by Environment Agency assets across all locations.
South-west impacts
The south-west of England has been particularly impacted and three severe flood warnings were issued in the initial days of the storm, indicating a risk to life. The south-west has seen nearly twice the long-term average rainfall so far this year. Records have been broken in many parts of the south-west for water levels in rivers, groundwater levels and amounts of rain falling in a day.
A major incident was declared by Somerset council on 27 January to support the co-ordinated response to flooding in the Somerset levels and moorland. This was only lifted on Wednesday 18 February, as the multi-agency efforts have stabilised the situation. The Environment Agency is following its Somerset moors and levels flood management plans, and operating flood storage areas and pumps.
Before recess, I visited Somerset with the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke). I saw at first hand the impact of the flooding, with villages cut off by submerged roads, and the strain this has placed on people’s mental health. I met a local farmer to see the impacts to his farmland, and I met the local internal drainage boards and Somerset Rivers Authority to hear their views.
Following my visit, the Environment Agency committed to reviewing the issues around water level management in Somerset once this incident has come to an end. It will work closely with the internal drainage boards and the local council as part of the wider recovery plan. That review will look at several important questions: when pumps should be activated, whether the current trigger points are right, and whether installing permanent pumps in certain locations could offer better value for money in the long term.
I want to again acknowledge the vital contributions of Somerset council, Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service, the police, ambulance services, the members of the internal drainage boards, and many others who have played essential roles in the multi-agency response.
A number of properties on the seafront at Torcross were significantly impacted during Storm Chandra and the high spring tides of 2 and 18 February, with wave overtopping causing internal flooding and other damage, although the degree of impact varies between properties and in some cases is still being assessed. The Environment Agency is working with local partners to support the community and engage with the hon. Member for South Devon (Caroline Voaden).
Government action
Protecting communities around the country from flooding is a priority for this Government. That is why we set up a flood resilience taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season. The taskforce will be meeting again next month to review winter preparedness and response.
The Government are investing at least £10.5 billion over ten years to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences, protecting communities from the impacts of climate change. Through the largest flood programme in history, this record investment will benefit nearly 900,000 properties.
In October, the Government announced major changes to our flood funding policy to make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places. This will increase investor confidence, close funding gaps, and reduce administrative burdens on local communities. The new rules, which take effect in April 2026, will optimise funding between building new flood defences and ongoing maintenance, capturing all damages avoided, including to agriculture, and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. Projects will be prioritised by their benefit-to-cost ratios to drive value for money, and we are giving equal weighting to all the different types of benefits, such as agriculture and environmental damages.
The Government are investing £91 million to support internal drainage boards to modernise and upgrade assets, recognising their essential work to manage water levels and reduce flood risk in rural communities. This funding has provided benefits to over 400,000 hectares of farmland and over 200,000 properties to date.
Under our environmental land management schemes, we are funding actions to improve the environment and mitigate flood risk, with proactive actions in our management of the land and water. These actions help make farmland more resilient to the effects of climate change, including reducing the impact of flooding by improving soil health, creating areas of water retention that protect more productive areas and slowing the flow across the landscape. In October 2025, the “FloodReady” report identified gaps and opportunities to grow the property flood resilience market, resulting in a new action plan for all relevant parties to take forward. The FloodReady leadership group, now chaired by UK Finance, is taking forward the work with DEFRA and the Environment Agency, leading on the recommendations for Government. The chair of the leadership group is now a member of the flood resilience taskforce.
We are supporting communities to adapt to coastal change. In January, the Government announced £30 million for coastal adaptation pilots over three years. This will deliver advanced adaptation in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, including selective property purchases or long-term financing solutions in areas where homes face imminent risk from erosion. It will support adaptation in other places facing coastal erosion across England, empowering communities to take practical steps, including moving community buildings away from at-risk areas, testing early warning systems for erosion events, and improving beach access and coastal tourism infrastructure.
Ongoing risk
Since Storm Chandra passed through, the situation has remained finely balanced, with numerous Met Office severe weather warnings issued over the south-west of England and elsewhere in the four weeks since the storm. Further rainfall has exacerbated flood risk in some areas and slowed recovery. Flood warnings have been removed from some areas in the south-west, but added in others, further east and along the south coast. Record groundwater levels combined with high river levels continue to risk flooding of properties and businesses in the south-west and elsewhere in the country.
Unsettled weather is set to continue into next month, with high groundwater levels meaning the risk of further flooding remains. High tides and strong winds may also bring tidal flood risk in some places during this period. Dozens of Environment Agency flood teams will continue to work across the country to respond to flooding and protect vulnerable communities.
[HCWS1343]
Storm Chandra Flooding
Emma Hardy Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
I thank the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) for calling this debate, and for providing an opportunity for us to hear and discuss the steps that this Government have taken in advance of, and in response to, Storm Chandra.
Storm Chandra brought heavy and persistent rainfall to the United Kingdom between Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 January. For many communities, particularly in the south-west, this succession of storms has felt relentless. It has been a cycle of anxiety, disruption and uncertainty that has tested both infrastructure and resilience. During Storm Chandra, rain fell on ground that was already waterlogged. The consequences have been felt most acutely in Somerset and across the wider south-west, where three severe flood warnings were issued. This is the highest category of alert, signifying a genuine danger to life. Thankfully, all three severe flood warnings could be lifted by the afternoon of Thursday 29 January. However, the challenges have not ended, as I saw when I visited the south-west yesterday.
In preparation, local resilience forums stood up their response arrangements, and local partners have worked side by side to support residents—sharing information, evacuating households at risk, pumping water, patrolling flooded areas and helping vulnerable people. The Environment Agency operated its Somerset moors and levels flood plans at full capacity, deploying pumps and managing flood storage areas around the clock. As river levels rose, local authorities led evacuations in Dorset and Somerset. Their professionalism and compassion have been vital for affected communities. Work is ongoing with around 300 flooded households to determine when homes can safely be re-entered. Nationally, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs activated its emergency operation centre to co-ordinate cross-government activities.
Gideon Amos
The Minister is right to pay credit to the Environment Agency, which has rolled out pumps faster than ever before. One of the key questions I get asked is, could we not have permanent pumps? That would mean we did not lose five days bringing them down from Yorkshire. Apparently, the crane that puts them on site, which has to wait two or three days, costs £80,000 a day. The pumping stations were last built in the 19th century. Surely it is time to have permanent installations. We could save several days or a week, and that could create space for millions of cubic metres of water.
Emma Hardy
Yesterday, in the meeting we had with the internal drainage boards and the Environment Agency, the EA, recognising the importance of that issue, said that it would look at the costings.
The events of the past few weeks have brought back memories of the catastrophic floods of 2013 and 2014, when entire communities were cut off for weeks, and livelihoods were deeply affected. My deepest sympathies go out to every individual, family and business affected by this flooding. For some, it is the first time they have faced this disruption, but for many of us, it is heartbreakingly familiar. Flooding is not just an inconvenience; it is a profound emotional and financial shock. It disrupts daily life, damages treasured possessions, and leaves people feeling vulnerable in their own home. I want those affected to know that we are committed to supporting them, not only in the immediate aftermath, but in the months and years ahead.
As of this morning, the Environment Agency has reported that approximately 308 properties across England have been flooded, of which 16 have been on the Somerset levels and moors. An estimated 22,850 properties have been protected by flood defences, and assets have stood up well. The Environment Agency has not reported any issues or had any reports of asset failure resulting in flooding, but of course, the Department will carry out a post-event assessment with resilience partners to identify where lessons can be learned.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to the first responders, Environment Agency staff, emergency services, local authorities and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to keep people safe. Their dedication, often in the most challenging and dangerous conditions, has been extraordinary.
Although Storm Chandra has now passed, further rainfall has triggered Met Office yellow rain warnings across the south-west and other regions. We expect a sustained operational response to continue for several weeks on the Somerset levels and elsewhere. That will involve ongoing pumping operations, continued monitoring of river and groundwater levels, and close co-ordination between local authorities, emergency services and national agencies.
Yesterday’s visit to Somerset with the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton to see the situation at first hand was invaluable. We witnessed the extent of the flooding across the Somerset moors and levels. We spoke with Environment Agency staff; local farmer Michael Curtis; internal drainage board members, including Rebecca Horsington from the Association of Drainage Authorities, Iain Sturdy, the Somerset IDB chief executive, and Tony Bradford, IDB chair; and community representatives who are working tirelessly to protect homes, farmland and infrastructure.
I saw the impact of the 16 days of incident response, villages cut off by flooded roads and the impact on people’s mental health. I am pleased to say, following my visit, that the Environment Agency has committed to reviewing the issues around water level management in Somerset once this incident has come to an end. It will work closely with the internal drainage boards and the council as part of the wider recovery plan. The review will consider several important questions: when pumps should be activated, whether the current trigger points are right, and whether installing permanent pumps in certain locations could offer better value for money in the long term. I also acknowledge the vital contributions of Somerset council, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, the police and ambulance services, members of the IDBs, and anyone who has played an essential role in the multi-agency response.
Flooding of that sort was always going to happen, but we can shape how prepared we are. The Government are investing at least £10.5 billion by March 2036 to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes and repair existing defences. That record investment is an average of £1.4 billion per year—an increase on previous investment—and will benefit nearly 900,000 properties. It includes a record £22.65 billion over 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Emma Hardy
We are taking that decisive action to halt the steady decline in the condition of flood defences under the previous Government by shifting an extra £108 million into the maintenance and repair of existing assets. We are also boosting the delivery of new defences by making available £140 million to 31 projects that are stalled because of funding gaps.
In October, following consultation, we announced major changes to our flood and coastal erosion funding policy. Those reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood and coastal defences in the right place by simplifying our funding rules. The new funding policy will improve the balance of funding between building new 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 invest at least £300 million into natural flood management over 10 years—the highest figure to date for the floods programme, although I am always keen for it to go higher still. Those new funding rules will be brought in for the new floods programme, and will take effect in April 2026.
I saw once again the crucial role that internal drainage boards play in flooding events. Our £91 million IDB fund supports greater flood resilience for farmers and rural communities. Ninety-four IDBs are delivering projects that are already benefiting over 400,000 hectares of farmland and over 200,000 properties. The Environment Agency estimates that the fund will avoid around £10 billion in economic damage.
Martin Wrigley
I deeply thank the Minister and my hon. Friend the Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) for highlighting the dreadful things that have happened in Somerset, and I join them in thanking all those who have responded.
I very much welcome what the Minister says about ensuring that the Environment Agency has the money to maintain assets and build new ones. My hon. Friend mentioned the importance of sustainable urban drainage systems, which we debated in Westminster Hall just last week. In that debate, the Minister talked about ways of maintaining SUDS. I asked for the maintenance of SUDS to be a statutory responsibility for the agencies set out in schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The Minister suggested that there was a route by which section 106 funding could be used to create permanent maintenance for SUDS. Might I ask the Minister how that could be achieved, given that section 106 money is finite and limited?
Emma Hardy
I think the best answer to that is for me to get the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which is responsible for that policy, to give the hon. Gentleman a full answer. I recall from that debate that the Department is considering how the long-term maintenance of SUDS can be achieved, but I am mindful of the fact that it is another Department’s responsibility.
Through the internal drainage board fund, we are further investing in resilient infrastructure that can withstand more frequent and intense storms, supporting communities with clear information, accessible resources and long-term recovery assistance, and enhancing natural flood management by restoring wetlands—that is brilliant—improving soil health and working with nature to slow the flow of water.
In April 2025, the Environment Agency proposed pausing main river maintenance in certain low-risk areas of Somerset. However, it became clear, following a query raised by the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton in November 2025, that the initial process did not provide sufficient opportunities for engagement with local communities and stakeholders. As a result, a new consultation period is now open, running until April 2026. This consultation will allow residents, landowners and local organisations to share their views and to help to shape the future of flood risk management in their area.
I fully recognise the importance of flood risk maintenance, particularly in areas like Somerset, where the landscape and hydrology create unique challenges. DEFRA and Environment Agency officials are already in discussion with key stakeholders, and this formed part of a wider conversation at December’s floods resilience taskforce meeting, which I chaired. These discussions are essential to ensuring that our approach to maintenance is fair, transparent and grounded in the needs of local communities. My letters to the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Sir Ashley Fox) in February 2025 detailed the actions being undertaken in support of this.
The Environment Agency needs to prioritise its funding rigorously, and focus on those areas and activities that deliver the greatest overall benefits for people and property, including reducing flood risk and ensuring value for money. It is spending significant resources every year on pumping and managing the Somerset levels. Its work is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of water across the landscape, supporting agriculture, protecting homes and preserving the unique ecology of the area.
Sarah Dyke
I am pleased that the consultation is open, and that will be good news for riparian owners across Somerset. Should the consultation come back saying that riparian owners need to continue to do their own maintenance work, what support will be put in place for those who do not have the equipment or the wherewithal to support that? If we are looking at a holistic approach, then if one riparian owner decides not to do any maintenance, what will be the knock-on effect? How do we then ensure that our network of rivers is resilient and does not flood other areas?
Emma Hardy
The challenge that the hon. Lady sets out is the next step. For me, the first step is to see what the response to the consultation says and then we can continue the conversations. However, I recognise her point about riparian ownership and responsibility, and the challenge of what happens if everyone does not respond to the responsibility in the same way.
As we look to the future, we must ensure that the investment continues to be targeted, effective and sustainable. Beyond the technical and financial considerations, we must recognise the human dimension of flooding. Behind every statistic is a person—someone who has had to leave their home, someone who has lost possessions, someone who is worried about the future. Flooding affects mental health, financial stability and community cohesion. It can take months or even years for people to fully recover. That is why our response must be compassionate, comprehensive and long term.
We must acknowledge the broader context in which these events are occurring. The increasing frequency and intensity of storms like Chandra and Ingrid reflect a changing climate. While no single weather event can be attributed solely to climate change, the pattern is clear: we are facing more extreme rainfall, more volatile weather systems and greater pressure on our flood defences. This reality demands that we strengthen our resilience, not only through infrastructure but through planning, community engagement and environmental stewardship. That is why protecting communities from the dangers of flooding is a key priority for this Government.
This year has started with record-breaking rainfall, amounting to nearly twice the long-term monthly average in the south-west, which has been deeply challenging. Strengthening local and national co-ordination to ensure that agencies, councils and emergency services can respond swiftly and effectively is crucial, as is listening to communities, as we were yesterday, valuing their lived experience and ensuring that their voices help to shape future policy.
This Government’s record investment in flood defences will better protect communities from flooding right across the country. Not only that, but it will boost economic growth in local communities by protecting businesses, delivering new jobs and supporting a stable economy in the face of the increasing risk of flooding as a result of climate change. This Government are committed to acting to ensure that communities are better protected from flooding in the first place. We will continue to deliver and repair flood defences, improve drainage systems and develop natural flood management schemes.
The emergency services, the Environment Agency, local authorities, voluntary organisations and Government Departments stand ready, as ever, to support affected people in any future flooding event. This is a personal priority and it is a privilege to be the Minister responsible for flooding, and I will continue working to make sure that this Government respond as effectively as possible to floods.
Question put and agreed to.
Independent Water Commission: Final Report
Emma Hardy Excerpts(1 month, 1 week ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Jeremy. I thank the hon. Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) for securing this debate, and I am grateful to everybody who has spoken in it. I welcome the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) to his place. I enjoyed listening to his first contribution from the Front Bench.
Before I get into the debate about water, I want to say a few words about flooding. There is obviously still a major incident classification in Somerset—I am going there after this debate—and that remains a concern. There are reports of flooding to about 300 properties, mostly in Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. The Environment Agency flood defences have helped to protect about 16,200 properties from flooding, but it is still a difficult situation. There is still heavy rain across England, and it has continued in the south and south-west. I want to put on the record my thanks to the Environment Agency, the emergency services and everybody else, and I give my absolute sympathy and support to anybody impacted by the flooding.
As a trade unionist, I echo the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher). The anger that the public feel towards water companies must never be directed at the people working for those companies, who are often the ones out there fixing the broken pipes and dealing with the sewer overflow. I remain concerned by reports from the unions about how they have been treated by some. Anger at the industry should never be directed at the people working for it.
I am delighted to say that we have set out our vision for water through the White Paper, which was published last month. It outlines how we will work together with water companies, communities and the environment to transform our water sector and ensure a sustainable water system for future generations. It will drive forward the transformatory change that we need.
I pay tribute to the passion of my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) on this topic. She lobbies me not only publicly, but over coffee in the Tea Room and in the corridors, too. She is genuinely committed to this, and I thank her for her work. She is right to say that we have banned £4 million of bonuses, and she spoke about the Public Accounts Committee’s report, which highlighted regulatory failure. The White Paper mentions sustainable debt and what that might mean. The regulator is bringing the economic environment together. My hon. Friend rightly highlighted the need for skills; we are looking at how to appoint the people we need. She is right that statutorily those organisations need to continue to do their job and hold companies to account, but we need to create a shadow organisation working at the same time. Until we actually change the law, those organisations will still have all the powers.
I look forward to meeting the hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Dr Chowns) to talk about the River Wye. I will come on to talk a little more about the environment.
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Josh Newbury) for his work on the EFRA Committee. He is right that we need more of a joined-up approach. Asset health is a massive issue, as people in Tunbridge Wells know only too well. I was shocked when I came into this role and was told that companies do not even know where some of their assets are. That is absolutely basic.
The right hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) and my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase talked about environmental pollution, which is a huge issue. On 27 January, I met members of DEFRA’s Addressing Pollution from Agriculture programme, which I have mentioned in this Chamber before. They include representatives from farming, environmental groups and water companies. My idea was to bring everybody together so that they could hear from one another—the environmentalists from the farmers, and the farmers from the water companies—on the question of how we are going to address the challenge of environmental pollution.
For some farmers, I think there is a question around education and understanding the right way to do things. I do not think they go out there to cause pollution deliberately. The question is, how do we work with them to solve this issue? On 27 January, I met them side by side with the Farming Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Dame Angela Eagle), to talk to them about this issue. Every four weeks until the summer, they will meet to say, “What can we do about agricultural pollution as one of the main sources of pollution?” Rather than me talking to the environmentalists and the Farming Minister talking to the farmers, we prefer the collaborative approach of having everyone talking to one another about how we solve the problem. That is the approach we have taken. When there is more to say on the outcomes of the group, I will report that back to the House.
I know that my hon. Friend the Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) is passionate about this issue. In fact, my very first visit as Minister was to see the River Foss barrier. I am so pleased that she mentioned the issues around chemicals and the increasing awareness of PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—what is happening with chemicals and the need to look at the thresholds for levels of chemicals in the water. I will definitely ask the University of York to send me information on its Ecomix work and its AQuA project to see how it is doing that.
My hon. Friend the Member for North West Leicestershire (Amanda Hack) brought to life horrific experiences of flooding and how devastating flooding is for people’s mental health. We need to look at what can be improved. Obviously, if there are any concerns about water companies not giving her the information on what will be improved in her area and where, I am more than willing to follow up on that.
People who know me know that I get very excited about regional planning, and this Chamber is the place to be excited about regional planning. The White Paper talks a bit about what we are going to do, but I will give Members a heads up on what I am doing tomorrow: I have the first meeting of the steering group looking at regional planning. The group comprises catchment partnerships, the Environment Agency, local authorities, Ofwat, National Highways—of course, one of the concerns with water pollution is run-off from our highways—the NFU, Wildlife and Countryside Link, water companies, the Rivers Trust, Blueprint for Water and internal drainage boards. I have probably missed one.
We are bringing everybody together to determine where around the country we will have the early roll-out of out some of these measures. We want to determine how Sir Jon Cunliffe’s regional planning model will apply to different catchments, depending on whether they are coastal and whether they include rivers, and how this will work in practice. I cannot remember which Member it was, but someone said that we do not seem to be in favour of nature-based solutions. Clearly, they have never heard me talk about my passion for nature-based solutions, because that is simply not true. The idea is that we are looking at the pre-pipe stuff—the nature-based solutions—in regional areas. In different areas around the country, those boards will have slightly different compositions, depending on the type of catchment.
Anna Dixon
Will the Minister assure the House that the regional planning for water catchments will have a strong citizen voice embedded in it, as well as drawing on evidence and expertise?
Emma Hardy
Absolutely—evidence and expertise. We are yet to work this out. As I said, the composition will depend on the catchment. In the White Paper, we referred to “community voices”, which we want to represent.
Emma Hardy
With respect to the hon. Lady, I do not believe that she was in this debate from the start.
Sir Jeremy Wright (in the Chair)
I am grateful to the Minister. It is of course up to the Minister to give way to whoever she wishes to, but she is perfectly right. The hon. Member was not here for the vast majority of the debate, and it is not courteous to the House, to this Chamber or to those who have participated in the entirety of the debate for her to seek to intervene at this late stage.
Emma Hardy
I turn now to regulation and the case for establishing a new single water regulator. As mentioned, that has to go alongside continuing what we have at the moment. Fundamental reform of water regulation is required, bringing together the economic and environmental planning, and looking at a singular accountable improvement body and enabling a whole-firm view of water company performance. The Liberal Democrat spokesperson, the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron), called it phase 2 or round 2 —I am not sure what the right phrase is, but we will be back with further legislation. This is absolutely what we need. We are looking at a chief engineer being embedded in the new regulator, ensuring companies focus on fixing crumbling pipes, treatment works and on engineering expertise—it is shocking that we have not had engineering expertise. We are looking at greater stability, transparency and protection for customers.
Until then, existing regulators must retain their full legal powers and responsibility. However, the Government are determined to ensure that the future regulator does not inherit the problems of the past. Leadership appointments for the new regulator, including a chair designate, will therefore be made at the earliest opportunity, and they will drive the design and direction of the new regulator to support a smooth transition. Before that, early steps are now being taken to look at joining up regulatory activity, particularly between Ofwat and the Environment Agency, until the new regulator is established.
Charlie Maynard
We have four minutes to go, including a wind-up speech. I wonder whether the Minister is going to get to my point.
Emma Hardy
I will, but I would like to say— I hope this is felt by all Members across the House—that I am extremely accessible as a Minister and always willing to meet people, so I do not like having my integrity questioned. The hon. Gentleman should know that I responded to a letter from him on that very issue on 12 January. If he has not received it, he is welcome to come and see me, but to imply that I have ignored his request is false.
Emma Hardy
Thank you. Where was I? We are putting customers first. We want to end the steep, huge hikes that we have seen in bills and make sure that that never happens again. We have introduced our customer panels. We have just seen the first of those happening in South West Water, and they are being run by the Consumer Council for Water. We are listening to customer voices and making sure that they are at the heart of water companies. We need to do more. The water ombudsman will help to restore the balance, but fundamentally, we want customers to feel that they are listened to, are at the heart of this and are important. Having the customer panels and strengthening the ombudsman will make the processes around customers’ experiences much better.
On bills, we are about to respond to our consultation on WaterSure. How do we make water more affordable for people with disabilities, with large families, and for people who have a health need and therefore need to use more water? We are doubling the social tariff support and holding companies to the commitment to end water poverty by 2030.
Water meters were mentioned, and they can help huge numbers of people save money. I encourage everybody to talk to their constituents about that. I remember speaking to an elderly lady who was on her own, and she told me that she was really worried that her bill would go up with a water meter. I said, “How many bedrooms do you have?” She said, “Three. It is a family home, but the kids have moved out.” I told her that her bill would be less if she got a water meter. The great thing about water meters is that they can not only save money, but help us think about our water use, and they can support the environment.
There is a section in the White Paper on water security—it is an important issue for us—that looks at making sure we deal with the growing demands being placed on our system. How much water do we need for the homes that we want to build and for businesses and growth? How much water do we have? How do we address the gap? There are exciting things around thinking about sustainable urban drainage, water use, building regulations and how we use grey water harvesting. All these things must inform our thinking. In fact, tomorrow I am talking to the Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee about drought, and water management is one thing that is related.
This Government are committed to delivering lasting change, restoring confidence and ensuring resilient, sustainable water systems that work for customers, the environment and future generations.
Sir Jeremy Wright (in the Chair)
I call Edward Morello, who has less than one minute.
Oral Answers to Questions
Emma Hardy Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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Patrick Hurley (Southport) (Lab)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
I want to begin by sending my deepest sympathy to everybody impacted by recent flooding; having your home or business flooded is devastating. I pay tribute to the emergency services, the Environment Agency and the communities and volunteers who have stepped up to keep people and communities safe. The latest intelligence I have is that the weather warning remains yellow across much of the south-west. We will keep a close eye on that today.
Claire Young
I draw the attention of the House to my membership of the all-party parliamentary group on flooding and flooded communities. Protecting homes from flooding is vital in communities such as Pilning, Severn Beach, Yate and Chipping Sodbury, yet the CIRIA C790 code of practice for property flood resilience seems to be a well-kept secret. Will the Minister work with the construction and insurance sectors to raise public awareness of the code, and will she consider formalising it through legislation, ensuring that my constituents have the protection and the lower insurance premiums that they deserve?
Emma Hardy
We recently produced a report, through Peter Bonfield, called “FloodReady”, which was exactly about how we incentivise more people to get property flood resilience. It was about working with contractors, manufacturers and everybody involved in the industry to make this a mainstream option for more people. I highly recommend that the hon. Lady has a look at that report; I hope that she and her constituents find it really useful.
Patrick Hurley
Farmers in my constituency report that watercourses are not being sufficiently maintained, there is not enough investment in drainage infrastructure, and there is a limited ability to deal with changing rainfall patterns and rising water tables. They tell me that the creation of an internal drainage board could help with all that. I know that work has been done to establish new IDBs through a statutory instrument, so will the Minister tell us the current status of that work, and will she please expedite it being laid before the House?
Emma Hardy
I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the fantastic work of the internal drainage boards in managing water levels, reducing flood risks and supporting communities, businesses and farmers alike. Of course, we are working hard on our statutory instrument. I am sorry that I cannot give him an exact date, but I can guarantee that it is something I am committed to doing.
Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)
Last week, 50 mm of intense rain fell across large parts of Somerset and exacerbated the already saturated ground, with a major incident declared on Tuesday. With more unsettled weather in the forecast and high spring tides imminent, residents have told me that they are worried they could be facing a repeat of the devastating 2013-14 floods. With the increasingly unpredictable, intense and changing patterns of rainfall, communities must be given the resources they need to prepare extreme weather resilience plans.
I thank the Minister for her commitment to meet me in Somerset later this year, but will she bring forward that planned visit to Glastonbury and Somerton to witness the devastating impact that flooding is having on my communities while the floodwater levels remain up?
Emma Hardy
The hon. Lady raises a really important point—I have been following the situation really closely, and it is devastating. She is quite right to point out the trauma and upset caused by flooding. We invested £80 million in Somerset between April 2024 and March 2025 on flood and coastal risk management, and we will allocate another £75 million to Somerset between April 2025 and March 2026. I will check whether my diary aligns so that I can make an earlier visit.
Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth) (Lab)
Sarah Olney (Richmond Park) (LD)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
People have every right to be frustrated about bill rises—years of neglect and under-investment have left our water infrastructure crumbling, and those increases now show the cost of putting that right. This Government are focused on tackling the cost of living, preventing those huge bill increases from ever happening again by fundamentally changing the system, and protecting the most vulnerable by strengthening schemes such as the guaranteed service standards and WaterSure.
Sarah Olney
Thames Water’s typical metered charges increased by 40.7% this financial year, and prices will rise again each year until 2030. While our water companies have been mismanaged and reform to bring down the cost of bills is needed, more can be done to encourage customers to meter their water usage. The average non-metered household in London is charged £81 a year more than a metered household, but that is not widely known, so will the Government do more to advertise the cost-saving potential of water meters? What further steps is the Minister taking to bring down the average water bill?
Emma Hardy
The hon. Lady is absolutely right. I am a huge champion of water meters, which not only help with bills but help reduce people’s water use. In turn, that helps with abstraction, especially in areas where we have many chalk streams. I am very keen to look at what more can be done in that space. Ofwat has a water efficiency fund, through which it is looking at innovative ways in which we can talk to the public and get them to understand, as the hon. Lady rightly said, the benefits of having a water meter, not only for their bills but for the environment.
Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith and Chiswick) (Lab)
Does the Minister have plans to introduce a national social tariff? It was not in the recent White Paper, but Independent Age, which is a national charity based in my constituency, estimates that such a tariff could lift up to half a million pensioner households out of water poverty entirely.
Emma Hardy
I share my hon. Friend’s concern about the ability of so many people in both our constituencies to afford water bills. That is why, over the next five years, water companies are going to be doubling the number of people getting help through social tariffs. We have also reformed WaterSure, which provides support to people with disabilities who might require more water use, or those who might require it for various other medical reasons. We are focused on making sure that the most vulnerable in all our communities are able to get the water they need at a price that is affordable for them.
Lloyd Hatton (South Dorset) (Lab)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
The Conservative Government allowed millions of pounds to be diverted from essential investment and used for unjustified bonuses. We are clear that executive pay must reflect company performance, and support Ofwat’s plan to consult on requiring companies to report publicly the details of all executive remuneration.
Lloyd Hatton
Just last month, The Guardian reported that the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Wessex Water received around £50,000 in undisclosed payments from a parent company. Just weeks before, it was reported that a former Wessex Water boss was handed a whopping £170,000—again from a parent company. The galling part is that both payments were made in the same year that Wessex Water was slapped with a ban on paying bonuses. With all that in mind, does the Minister agree that if bonuses can simply be rebadged as extra payment from parent companies, we must urgently toughen up the bonuses ban so that we can finally hold failing water company bosses to account?
Emma Hardy
This situation baffles me. It seems simple to me that bonuses should reflect performance, and if performance is not good enough, people should not get a bonus. I am not sure why that seems so difficult to understand. It is not just about the letter of the law, but about the spirit of the law. Ofwat has exposed serious transparency failings across the water sector, and we are therefore tightening transparency rules to shut down any attempt to dodge the bonus ban.
David Chadwick (Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe) (LD)
Welsh Water’s chief executive has one of the highest paid jobs in Wales at almost £900,000 a year, and the company is hiking basic pay to get around the Government’s crackdown on executive bonuses, despite being a not-for-profit. That is even though Welsh Water presides over some of the worst sewage dumping and leaks in the UK and sky-high price rises. Will the Minister look into companies trying to bypass the new regulations in that way and ensure that those loopholes are closed?
Emma Hardy
With respect, I think the hon. Gentleman has just made the case for why mutualising water companies is not the answer on performance. This Government have already banned more than £4 million in unfair bonuses, which have been blocked by Ofwat for 2024-25.
Johanna Baxter (Paisley and Renfrewshire South) (Lab)
Edward Morello (West Dorset) (LD)
Following Storm Chandra, vast swathes of West Dorset are under water. An amber warning is in place, and we are expecting more flooding. Whole villages have become islands. Eighty-four houses in Yetminster have sewage in them. One family in Maiden Newton had only just moved back into their house following 15 months of repairs after the previous flooding, only to get flooded again within three days. Will the Minister please visit West Dorset and explain to residents how she will get the water companies and the Environment Agency to focus on flood-prone areas?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
I can hear the hon. Gentleman’s passion and how upset he is about the devastating impact that repeated flooding has had on his community. We are putting a record amount of money into flood defences and will continue to do so. We are also looking at how we can work more effectively with other agencies in the area. I share his concern that, over the next weeks, it will continue to be quite wet. I give thanks to the emergency services and everybody involved.
John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)
Emma Hardy
My hon. Friend raises a really important point. He will have noticed that we published the PFAS—perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—plan earlier this week, which looks at the issues of chemical pollution and how we can tackle it more effectively. We recognise the serious concerns at Tideswell brook. Through our water White Paper we are reforming waste water regulation and enabling earlier interventions. I will be keeping a close eye on the situation as it develops.
Sir Roger Gale (Herne Bay and Sandwich) (Con)
On 8 January, the United States Secretary of the Interior wrote to the Secretary of State on behalf of the big game hunting industry, asking her to ensure that the Government would abandon their commitment to the ban on importing hunting trophies. In her reply, will she give a robust indication that this Government are committed to that ban?
Sustainable Drainage Systems
Emma Hardy Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Barker. I thank the hon. Member for Newton Abbot (Martin Wrigley) for securing this important debate. I have enjoyed sitting through a debate in which there has been so much love for previous Labour policy, because, of course, it was the Labour party that introduced the 2010 Act that both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives seemed so very keen to enact. I gently say that they had a mere 14 years—well, the Liberal Democrats had five—in which it could have been enacted. It falls to this Labour Government to tackle the issue of SuDS.
Putting that to one side, as I said to the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) earlier, my full sympathy and support go to everybody who has been impacted by flooding. It has been horrific, especially for the families, homes and businesses that are facing repeated flooding episodes. After today’s oral questions in the Chamber, I am considering how quickly I can come down and see the flooding for myself. I will pick that up with the hon. Lady, because it is really important.
Lots of incredibly important points were raised in the debate. A point was made about why water companies would not be interested, but in fact they are. The reason why many of them are is because of what we call, when it comes to water, the pre-pipe solutions. To explain that more simply, if an awful lot of surface water ends up in the sewerage system, we end up with more storm overflow incidents, because the system becomes overloaded, water spills out into the rivers, lakes and seas, and then there are pollution incidents.
There is, then, an incentive for water companies to be interested, because holding the surface water away prevents some of the pollution. There are some really good examples—admittedly in more urban areas—of that happening. A project in Mansfield involved Living with Water, the local authority, the Environment Agency and the council all working together. I am interested in looking at regional planning—this is in the White Paper—and how to bring together different interested parties in the same region to look at stopping the system becoming overloaded, which is one way of tackling pollution.
Martin Wrigley
I am delighted that the Minister is talking about water companies splitting surface water from foul water. That is exactly what they are doing in the middle of Dawlish: creating massive new tanks for that purpose. The programme has been going on for about two years; most of Dawlish has been dug up and its town centre has been in disarray because of it.
Throughout the last 10 years, South West Water has been talking about the separation of surface water and foul sewage, and insisting that it happens higher upstream. That is fine and proper—and, yes, it is agreed on that. However, South West Water is not interested in what happens to the surface water off estates that are already separating it out. That is not a problem that the company is addressing; it already has big enough issues elsewhere, where it is fixing past problems. That is where the SuDS come in, and that is why South West Water is not interested in those.
Emma Hardy
I am happy to go on to talk about SuDS, but I wanted to address why there is a collective self-interest in everybody getting involved in this, because it will help to reduce pollution. That is why it was a key part of the White Paper. Speaking personally, as someone who loves nature, this is also an opportunity to increase nature in different areas. These pre-pipe solutions do not have to be concrete tanks; they can be somewhere that is quite beautiful.
We want to maximise the opportunities offered by better managing rain and looking at where it lands. It is estimated that the average household roof collects 85,000 litres of rainwater every year—obviously a little more in your constituency, Mrs Barker, and a fair bit in Hull as well, but a little less elsewhere—which is equivalent to an estimated 4 trillion litres annually across the UK, or 1.6 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. We are therefore thinking about not just SuDS or pre-pipe solutions, but rainwater management. There are many different things we can do. That is why we want to work together with other stakeholders including water companies, environmental groups, local authorities and developers to come up with how we can collectively achieve this ambition.
On sustainable drainage, it is quite right to point out that the 2010 Act was never fully enacted by the coalition or the Conservative Government. SuDS are vitally important for sustainable development. They help to reduce additional pressure on the sewage system by up to 87%. I am a huge fan, and have spoken quite often about my love for sustainable urban drainage. They can also enable growth: a SuDS retrofit programme in London created the additional headroom for 116,000 new homes.
Since we came into Government, our record on SuDS is that in December 2024, we made changes to the national planning policy framework to support increased delivery of SuDS, so that it now requires all developments to utilise SuDS where they could have drainage impacts, and requires those systems to be appropriate to the nature and scale of the development. In June 2025, the Government introduced new national standards, making it clear that SuDS should be designed to cope with changing climate conditions, because whenever we do anything now in this country, we need to have our minds on how our climate is changing, and make sure that we are resilient for the future. SuDS should also deliver wider water infrastructure benefits in the form of flood prevention, storm overflow reduction and reuse opportunities—but of course there is more that we need to do.
As I say, some time has passed since the 2010 Act was enacted, and it is important that we consider the most efficient and effective way of securing its objectives. We currently think that that could be through changes to planning policy and adoption and maintenance, which I will come on to, rather than commencing schedule 3. With that in mind, we have been tightening national planning policy on this important issue. We are consulting on a new national planning policy framework at present, which adds the requirement that sustainable drainage systems are designed in accordance with the new national standards, to provide a consistent basis for their design and implementation.
Additionally, we are consulting on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of unadopted estates and the injustices associated with them, including for SuDS. On 18 December last year the Government published two consultations, one on enhanced consumer protections for homeowners on privately managed estates and another on reducing the prevalence of estate management arrangements. We continue to collaborate with industry leaders and, since data has been mentioned, I note that we are supporting the development of a new rainwater management platform, which will provide digital tools to support the delivery of high-quality SuDS.
We are working with the industry body CIRIA—the Construction Industry Research and Information Association—to better understand the challenges around property-level SuDS and rainwater harvesting. Subsequent guidance will support industry to deliver in line with our recently published national standards for SuDS and will be publicly available. To ensure the longevity and proper maintenance of SuDS, we are scoping options for maintenance funding mechanisms and the methodology for calculating maintenance costs. We will publish guidance later this year, which will support the delivery of SuDS in line with the new national standards.
I will answer some of the questions on maintenance. We recognise the challenges relating to the adoption and maintenance of SuDS and how that can impact communities, so we are committed to ensuring they are well maintained. As I mentioned, we issued standards in June ’25, and in support of those we are currently conducting research into the funding of SuDS maintenance. We are looking with industry and experts at different funding mechanisms as well as the methodology for calculating maintenance costs.
To ensure that SuDS are provided and maintained as part of a new development, section 106 agreements can be used to provide for the maintenance of SuDS over their lifetime, where the statutory test is met. We are consulting on a new national planning policy framework to require SuDS to be designed in accordance with the new national standards, and a consultation that sets out that SuDS should have maintenance arrangements in place to ensure an acceptable standard of operation for the anticipated lifetime of the development—that is really important; it is not just about when it is built, but the lifetime of the development—building on the current requirement for those to be in place for major development proposals. The consultation is open until 10 March. I encourage Members and anyone interested to respond to that consultation.
There has been mention of specialists and making sure that we have the people we need. We need skilled planners, including specialists in areas such as ecology and infrastructure—they are essential to making sure we have proactive planning services. We know that local planning authorities continue to face challenges in recruiting and retaining staff. Ultimately, it is up to local authorities who they employ and how they do so. Nevertheless, given how widespread those pressures are, the Government are significantly expanding support through the planning capacity and capability programme, including growing the graduate and mid-career pipeline, strengthening specialist training through the Planning Advisory Service and launching a new planning careers hub to open additional routes into the profession. We are trying to grow our own planners for the future, and looking at whether an increase to local authority funding for SuDS could be required.
I hope all that helps to illustrate that this Government have not waited 14 years to deliver what the previous Government were attempting; we are getting on and delivering it now—from changes to the planning framework to ensuring that we have the talent we need, innovation, and working with others to find new ways to deliver the protection that our country needs. We are strongly committed to improving the implementation of SuDS; the actions I have outlined today are just the beginning and I look forward to working with all hon. Members in this room towards that goal.
Government Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Plan
Emma Hardy Excerpts(1 month, 2 weeks ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)
I wish to update the House on the Government’s work to address the challenges posed by per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often known as forever chemicals, and to announce the publication of the UK Government’s PFAS plan.
PFAS represent a global and long-term environmental challenge. Their persistence, mobility and widespread historic use mean they are now found throughout our environment, including in water, soils, wildlife, and some consumer products. Although PFAS deliver important benefits in areas such as clean energy technologies, medical devices and essential safety equipment, we must take proportionate and science-based action to minimise their harmful impacts on both public health and the natural environment.
Today, the Government are publishing the PFAS plan, which sets out a comprehensive framework for how the UK will monitor, manage and reduce the risks from PFAS across society and the environment. The plan has been developed collaboratively with the devolved Governments and reflects a shared, UK-wide commitment to protect people and nature while supporting innovation and economic growth.
The plan establishes a clear long-term vision—to reduce and minimise the impacts of harmful PFAS on public health and the environment, while supporting the transition to safer and more sustainable alternatives.
To achieve this, the plan sets out co-ordinated action across three pillars:
Understanding PFAS sources—Understanding and identifying the sources of PFAS including where they originate from.
Tackling PFAS pathways—Accounting for the movement of PFAS around society and the environment.
Reducing ongoing exposure—reducing and managing ongoing exposure to PFAS for people, animals, and the environment.
The plan marks an important step towards a more co-ordinated, transparent and proportionate approach to managing PFAS across the UK. It will provide a platform for action across Government, industry, and others.
As a commitment in the environment improvement plan, progress on delivery of the PFAS plan will be incorporated into the statutory reporting cycle, ensuring regular scrutiny and accountability.
I will place a copy of the PFAS plan in the Library of the House and it will be available on gov.uk.
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