Oral Answers to Questions

James Asser Excerpts

Thursday 5th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking to improve the inspection of water infrastructure.

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

13. What steps she is taking to improve the inspection of water infrastructure.

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Reynolds)]

This Government are overhauling the regulatory system to deliver better outcomes for consumers and the environment. In our water White Paper, we set out plans for a more powerful, integrated regulator with real teeth, introducing MOT-style checks on pipes, pumps and other water infrastructure. Last year alone, the Environment Agency has ramped up enforcement, more than doubling inspections of water company assets.

--- Later in debate ---

[Emma Reynolds]

The Grand Union canal transfer scheme will strengthen the nation’s long-term water resilience and water security. I have listened carefully to what my hon. Friend said about her constituents’ concerns, and either myself or the Water Minister will be very happy to meet her to discuss them further.

[James Asser]

My constituents are plagued with endless disruption and roadworks from Thames Water, which is leading to disruption for motorists, delays in public transport and, in some cases, serious safety concerns for cyclists. Does the Secretary of State agree that such infrastructure works should be properly monitored and inspected so that they are carried out effectively and efficiently—and, frankly, so that our constituents can see some benefit at the end of the disruption?

[Emma Reynolds]

Under the last Government, we saw water infrastructure crumbling, but this Government are getting a grip of the water system. We are moving away from the “fix on failure” system that we inherited to one that includes proper maintenance and resilience standards to get ahead of problems. I hope that will mean less emergency work, and therefore less disruption for my hon. Friend’s constituents.

Fish and Chip Sector

James Asser Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Cooper]

I thank the hon. Lady for her interesting intervention. Her chip challenge sounds like a lot of fun, and I defer to Madam Deputy Speaker about the question of proper parliamentary language—I am sure what she said is perfectly acceptable.

Fish and chip shops accounted for 60% of the fall in sales, with 36 million fewer portions of fish and chips sold in fish and chip shops in 2024 compared with 2023. Something has gone drastically wrong. Worse, it is not just one thing but a series of issues. I have some sympathy with the Minister because the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is not directly responsible for all these matters, but of all Departments, it should realise that government must not work in silos and instead should work across Whitehall.

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

Will the hon. Member give way?

[John Cooper]

I feel like I am swimming upstream here, but I am happy to give way.

[James Asser]

I recently had a conversation with a chip shop in my constituency. One of the issues it raised was getting younger people interested in going into the business because there are other opportunities elsewhere. Indeed, the person I spoke to—it was a family business—had moved on to other opportunities. The hon. Member is coming on to the many issues that face the sector. Does he agree that we need to look at opportunities for education in catering colleges to encourage people that fish and chip shops still present a viable business opportunity? Like many other long-standing businesses, if interest is lost, that is how they die out. That is one issue we need to look at.

[John Cooper]

The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, and I will touch on the question of skills in a few moments.

A key reason for prices leaping like a salmon is an increase in the price of fish itself. Incredibly for an island nation, we are a net importer of fish. Previously, a high proportion of fish used in the UK was imported from Russia, though in March 2022 the Government rightly imposed a 35% tariff on Russian seafood imports following the illegal invasion of Ukraine. That invasion also hit the price of flour and sunflower oil—both major Ukrainian exports. There was also a reduction in the North sea cod quota, mentioned by the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon), who is no longer in his place.

Water White Paper

James Asser Excerpts

Wednesday 21st January 2026 Commons Chamber

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

My constituents are not receiving the service they deserve. Many are facing real issues over water pressure, which is intermittent, unreliable and on some days non-existent. This issue has even been raised with me by primary school children when I am on school visits. Can the Secretary of State reassure my constituents that the White Paper will begin to force the water companies to take action on these day-to-day issues that really affect people’s lives? If they do not do so, will the regulator give weight to those complaints and will it have the kind of teeth that forces the companies to act, so that my constituents can get the service they deserve and, frankly, are already paying for?

[Emma Reynolds]

Yes, indeed. The new water regulator, when we are able to legislate for that and set it up, will indeed look at these issues and put consumers at the heart of what it is doing.

Oral Answers to Questions

James Asser Excerpts

Thursday 20th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Solicitor General]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As I have said a number of times, the root causes of the backlog lie with the Conservatives not taking action. It falls to this Government to take action, and it is action we are taking.

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

7. What steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of serious and violent crime in West Ham and Beckton constituency.

[The Solicitor General]

We are taking strong action as part of our plan for change to tackle the serious and violent crime on our streets. Our new Crime and Policing Bill will back our police and prosecutors by giving them enhanced and tougher powers to keep our streets safe, to tackle antisocial behaviour and to crack down on knife crime. I know my hon. Friend will also welcome the record £1.16 billion investment in the Metropolitan police from the Home Secretary and the Mayor of London, which will help deliver this Government’s safer streets mission in my hon. Friend’s constituency.

[James Asser]

My constituents in West Ham and Beckton are extremely concerned about knife crime. We have had a serious number of incidents over the last few years, including in the last few weeks. Could my hon. and learned Friend reassure my constituents on the work that the Government are doing to take a stronger approach on prosecuting knife crime and the work being done to support victims?

Oral Answers to Questions

James Asser Excerpts

Thursday 19th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Steve Reed]

The Government continue to monitor very closely what is happening in Thames Water, and indeed in all the other water companies. The only easement I have ever seen given to water companies over pollution was that of the previous Government, who turned a blind eye as sewage was flooding through our rivers, lakes and seas. This Government are putting the water companies under tough regulatory special measures—measures that the previous Government could have enacted, but failed to enact.

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

8. What progress he has made on reducing electronic waste.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mary Creagh)]

As my hon. Friend knows, each week 8 million vapes—such as single-use, pod and big puff—are thrown away or recycled incorrectly, which is 13 vapes a second. That is why we have already banned single-use vapes and created 10,000 extra vape recycling points in store. We will ensure that online marketplaces and vape producers pay their share of electronic recycling costs in order to avoid the fires, which we know are so devastating.

[James Asser]

Mr Speaker, I wish you and your team a very happy Christmas.

I thank the Minister for her reply. We are all keen to increase recycling, but too often the opportunities for recycling electronic waste are very limited, meaning that it goes into mainstream waste, leading to increased pollution and hazards. We are seeing an increasing number of bin fires starting with vapes, which, as she has highlighted, are a particular problem. Will the Government consider what opportunities there are to work with local authorities to increase recycling opportunities and, in particular, to ensure that the public are aware of the downsides of not disposing of electronic waste properly?

[Mary Creagh]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. My own city council in Coventry has introduced small electrical item take-back points in its libraries, which is an example of an excellent council innovating. I recently visited the Currys recycling plant in Newark, which shows the importance of recycling electricals to ensure that the gifts of Christmas past can be conserved and used for many Christmases to come. More importantly, last-minute Christmas shoppers will get £5 off a new product—I hear that air fryers are very popular.

Fly-tipping

James Asser Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd September 2024 Westminster Hall

[James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Ealing Southall (Deirdre Costigan) for securing the debate. It is a huge issue for residents, as other contributors have said, but it is also a huge area of pressure for councils, as finances and resources have been squeezed very hard and bin and street cleaning services are already resource-intense, taking up a lot of time for all of our local authorities.

It is worth asking how we define fly-tipping, because often it is presented just as a man in a van dumping white goods by the side of the road. That is an issue, as we have heard, but, in many areas, it is more about low-level rubbish being dumped on streets, often through ignorance of a system that creates fly-tipping hotspots or a lack of understanding about when one should present waste.

Councils have the dilemma of whether to collect the waste, thereby hiding the problem rather than solving it but clearing the streets, or to leave it for investigation, which creates distress for residents because the streets are a mess. In my borough, we have found that this problem can be tackled through education and awareness. In Newham, we saw success by working with residents and Keep Britain Tidy. We piloted wrapping waste in crime investigation-style tape and painting messages where the fly-tips were removed that both highlighted the cost of the removal and what the council could have spent that money on. We found that had an effect: in the immediate term, there was a 64% drop in fly-tipping; in the long-term, there was a 40% drop.

It is worth saying that it did not work in all areas. It was particularly useful in areas where there were residents rather than in areas with high footfall, but the council has moved on to other measures in high-footfall areas, which have led to a 32% drop in those spaces. This is a key point: one size does not fit all. Different areas—both urban and rural—have different problems and we all need different solutions, even within local districts. We need a range of options.

We also need ways of working with the public. As we have heard, they play a vital role. Local people care. They are the eyes and ears, helping to keep their area safe. So, what is the ask of Government? Money and resources for local councils, yes—we all know the demand, but, to help the Minister, this is not just about cash. My hon. Friend the Member for Ealing Southall and others have made the point that we need to share initiatives. We need to share policy ideas and pilot projects. It is difficult for councils to work on their own, and therefore a national strategy and national ways of working are important. In this regard, regional and central Government can do more, bringing together different agencies and bringing together different councils to share those ideas. A national strategy will look at that and at ways we can bring those together and share those good ideas. I hope this is the start of a longer debate that we can make some progress on.

[Clive Efford (in the Chair)]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, Josh Babarinde.