Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to expand the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025 to apply to all recreational water users.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Bathing waters are one of the most visible ways in which the public interacts with the water environment, and so it is critical that appropriate regulations meet the needs of water users and those involved with managing bathing water sites. In the November – December 2024 consultation on bathing water reforms, we asked respondents about wider reforms including the expansion of the definition of ‘bathers’ to include other water users and introducing multiple monitoring points at sites. The Government response to the consultation, published in March 2025, outlined that a clear majority of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal and many offered suggestions of what water users should be included. The Department is now exploring how evidence to support the delivery of these wider reforms, including expanding the definition of a bather might be developed. The timeline for detailed policy development and research will depend on the outcome of initial scoping work. Defra will engage with local and national stakeholders as this work progresses.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) incineration capacity and (b) potential feedstock availability in the light of (i) the statutory target to halve residual waste sent to either incineration or landfill per person by 2042, (ii) the non-combustible nature of some residual waste, and (iii) competing uses for the feedstock.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. As part of this we will consider the role of Energy from Waste, including waste incineration, in the context of circularity, economic growth, and reaching net zero.
Defra’s analysis of municipal residual waste treatment infrastructure capacity, including exports, which we hope to publish shortly, sets out incineration capacity and municipal residual waste arisings in England, taking into account the implementation of the packaging reforms up to 2035. The analysis will also give consideration to the levels of residual waste in 2042, in context of the statutory residual waste target to effectively halve residual wastes. This analysis will support decision making relating to planning for new residual waste treatment infrastructure.
Regarding competing uses for the feedstock, the analysis considers all forms of treatment for municipal residual waste, including energy recovery, landfill and exports.