Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent persistent flooding in (a) Cookham and (b) Hurley.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environment Agency (EA) teams are working with colleagues from Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council to improve knowledge and understanding of the flooding that has occurred during the last two years of higher-than-average rainfall.
The EA is engaging with residents and community groups around Cookham, as well as elsewhere in the borough, to improve the services it provides. EA teams have also been providing advice and guidance about flood resilience, as well as promoting the recently closed Flood Recovery Grants.
A study was completed during 2018-19 to look at possible options to mitigate flooding in Hurley. Unfortunately, at the time this study was completed it did not find an option that was financially viable.
Inspections of EA flood defences led to temporary works during December 2024, to reinstate a bank collapse on the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme (MWEFAS) near Taplow. This repair enabled MWEFAS to remain operational this winter, ensuring 3000 properties still benefit from the defences which include flood gates, walls and embankments in the Cookham area. EA teams are now designing the permanent repairs to take place as soon as possible.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department will publish the consultation on fluorinated gas regulation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The GB F-gas review is ongoing, and we are in the process of developing proposals for amending the F-gas legislation in Great Britain. We intend to go out to consultation on proposals for reform in due course. Defra officials have ongoing and valued engagement with sector stakeholders as part of the review process and have gathered incredibly useful input.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet with manufacturers from the (a) heating, (b) refrigeration and (c) air conditioning industries to discuss the inclusion of mandatory training for flammable refrigerants in the Government’s consultation on fluorinated gas regulation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The GB F-gas review is ongoing, and we are in the process of developing proposals for amending the F-gas legislation in Great Britain. We intend to go out to consultation on proposals for reform in due course. Defra officials have ongoing and valued engagement with sector stakeholders as part of the review process and have gathered incredibly useful input. Private office handles all meeting requests. Please contact them directly to request a meeting.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
What steps he is taking to improve the water quality of rivers.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
After 14 years of Conservative failure, we share the public’s fury at the levels of sewage being released into our rivers, lakes and seas.
That is why this Government has introduced legislation to put the water companies under special measures to end their disgraceful behaviour. But this is not all we are doing.
We will outline further legislation to fundamentally transform how the water industry is run and speed up the delivery of upgrades to our sewage infrastructure to clean up our waterways for good.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed increases to water bills by Thames Water in the period to 2030 on households in relative poverty.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We understand the financial pressures hardworking families are currently facing, especially as many people have been impacted by cost-of-living challenges.
Firmer action should have been taken over the last fourteen years to ensure money was spent on fixing the water and sewage system, not syphoned off for bonuses and dividend payments.
I am angry that over a decade of Conservative failure means customers will now have to pay higher bills to fix the system - this didn't need to happen.
But while I can’t undo the failure of the past – I can stop it happening again.
That is why I have announced reforms to ensure that funding for vital infrastructure will now be ringfenced, meaning it can only be spent on upgrades that benefit customers and the environment, not diverted to pay bonuses, dividends or salary increases.
Where money for investment isn’t spent, companies will refund it to their customers.
We are going further to work with the sector to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. All water companies, including Thames Water, offer affordability support for households who struggle to pay their bills in full including WaterSure and social tariffs, payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and financial advice referral arrangements.