Water Companies: Fines

Lord Mohammed of Tinsley Excerpts

Thursday 29th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We are working to ensure that the money that we get from fines is spent in the best possible way. We have had so many debates and questions around water from everybody in this House; what we need to do is tackle the problem for good and for the long term. We can talk about fines and about bonuses until we are blue in the face, but what we want to find is real change. That is what we are doing with the water White Paper, and what we will do with our water Bill.

[Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD)]

My Lord, the Minister says that we do not want these water companies to go bust from paying these fines. Why on earth does the chief exec of Yorkshire Water get salary packages of multiple hundreds of thousands of pounds, which are often off the book and may not be publicly disclosed? Should we not look at limiting pay for these highly paid chief execs if their water companies are breaking the law and have been fined?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

As I am sure the noble Lord is aware, water companies are private companies. It is not for the Government to interfere in how private companies operate, including their pay structures. However, having said that, we need a tough regulator to ensure that we are getting the best value from water companies.