Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with businesses on installing microfibre filters in washing machines.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Defra’s Plan for Water, there is a commitment for industry and businesses to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters in washing machines to capture microfibre and encourage their effective use.
This approach is informed by the evidence that shows that there is not a sufficient benefit to the environment for legislating the installation of microfibre-capturing filters in all new washing machines. Recent analyses showed an estimated increased cost from between £30 to £122 for a microfibre filter per machine and user behaviour around disposal of captured microfibres can make render the filters ineffective.
We have conveyed this to industry colleagues, and we look forward to receiving a response which will help us to progress the issue.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with businesses on preparing for the deadline for the implementation of the deposit return scheme.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra engages stakeholders across industry (including large and small drinks producers, retailers, wholesalers, and the hospitality sector) to ensure we are learning lessons from other schemes (including the Scottish experience and the recently launched scheme in Ireland). This is to support industry as they move towards delivery. We are committed to continuing engagement and working collaboratively with industry to deliver a cost effective, well-functioning scheme.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that additional costs on water bills are used to improve storm overflows.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) for Ofwat which was published in March 2022 makes it clear that protecting and enhancing the nation’s water environment is a priority for this Government. It sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for Ofwat for the next Price Review period. We expect water companies to use the next five-year Price Review period (PR24) to set bold and ambitious plans that deliver for people and the environment. This includes delivering substantial improvements to tackle storm overflows, as well as upgrades to wastewater treatment works and improvements to bathing waters.
New infrastructure will need to be paid for, and while water companies can attract private investment, this will also need to come from customer bills.
Ofwat is currently scrutinising water company business plans for 2025 to 2030 to ensure plans meet the targets for environmental improvements and other obligations and deliver value for money for customers.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
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 has taken to reduce the number of emergency discharges from emergency overflows.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Emergency overflows are separate to storm overflows and only operate in urgent circumstances such as electrical power failure and mechanical breakdown. The Environment Agency (EA) will issue permits for emergency overflows only in circumstances where the need to allow for emergency overflows to protect critical infrastructure, people and the environment outweighs the risk of a potentially polluting discharge occurring.
All permitted emergency overflows are required to be fitted with alarms which signal when there is a problem with the pumping station. Water companies must notify the EA when they detect a pumping station failure that is likely to cause pollution. When there is a problem, the EA will investigate and take enforcement action where necessary.
The EA require water companies to monitor emergency overflows associated with designated shellfish waters as advised by Government. In 2022, emergency overflows in these locations operated at an average rate of 1.5 times per overflow a year, while over 70% did not operate. This monitoring is being extended to all emergency overflows.
The water companies are currently planning for the next 5-year investment period 2025 to 2030. As part of this planning the water companies are expected to ensure their maintenance plans minimise the risk of failure of their assets and the impact, they may have on the water environment.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) the Environment Agency and (b) Ofwat on the adequacy of their capacity to investigate breaches of permits by water companies.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ofwat and the Environment Agency to discuss a range of issues associated with regulation including investigations and enforcement.
The government is committed to ensuring the regulators have the tools they need to hold water companies to account. Therefore, in May 2023 Ofwat announced that its enforcement capacity would be trebled, following the approval of an £11.3 million funding budget increase from Government. The Government has also boosted funding for the Environment Agency with £2.2 million per year specifically for enforcement activity.
On 20 February, we announced that we are significantly increasing our oversight of the water industry. The number of Environment Agency inspections, including unannounced inspections, will rise to 4,000 by the end of March 2025 – a fourfold increase. Our consultation on increasing permit charges for water companies to enable these inspections is underway and due to close shortly.
The Government and regulators will continue to work together to hold water companies to account for poor performance.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on prosecutions for non-compliance by (a) water and (b) sewerage companies at wastewater treatment works.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is clear that water companies will not be allowed to get away with illegal activity. Where breaches are identified, the regulators will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action.
Since 2015, the Environment Agency have concluded 59 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies including a record £90 million fine for Southern Water in 2021.
Furthermore, the EA can now use new powers to impose unlimited penalties for a wider range of offences following Government’s changes to broaden of the scope of the existing civil sanctions regime and remove the previous cap on penalties.
In addition, the Environment Agency and Ofwat have launched the largest criminal and civil investigations into water and sewerage companies sewage discharges ever, at over 2200 treatment works, following new data coming to light as a result of increased monitoring.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
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 it his policy to include glass in the deposit return scheme.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Glass drink bottles will not be captured by the deposit return scheme for drinks containers (DRS) in England and Northern Ireland. Conversations with packaging manufacturers on scope of materials in the DRS have been consistent with the position that was outlined in the Government’s consultation response in January 2023.
In England and Northern Ireland, glass drinks bottles will remain in scope of the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) as will all other types of glass packaging. pEPR will place recycling targets on producers in relation to glass packaging and require relevant obligated producers to cover the costs of collecting and managing glass packaging arising in household waste. As part of finalising our plans for pEPR, we will be confirming future recycling targets for all packaging materials shortly.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish the storm overflow action plans.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of our drive for better water quality, the Government has asked every water and sewerage company to present a clear assessment and action plan on every storm overflow they operate, prioritising those that are spilling into bathing waters and high-priority nature sites.
The action plans will be published in due course, subject to assurance of the data provided.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the burdens funding announced in his Department's consultation outcome on consistency in household and business recycling in England, last updated on 21 November 2023, what assessment he has made of whether the level of funding proposed will be adequate to meet the cost of (a) electric vehicles and (b) related charging infrastructure.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Any new financial burdens introduced through new statutory duties on local authorities will be assessed in accordance with the New Burdens Doctrine and the net reasonable cost covered by the government.
We are working to assess net additional costs to local authorities and will be engaging with local authorities on funding to be provided in due course.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many bathing waters have been de-designated in each region since 2010.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since 2010, there have been de-designations of bathing waters in the following Environment Agency (EA) areas in England:
Area | De-designated bathing waters since 2010 |
Cumbria and Lancashire | 8 |
Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly | 3 |
East Anglia | 1 |
Solent and South Downs | 1 |
Wessex | 3 |
Yorkshire | 3 |
Several bathing waters were also de-designated before 2010 in the following EA areas: Alnmouth in the North East; Flamborough North Landing and Earls Dyke in Yorkshire; Lowestoft Gunton Denes in East Anglia; Poole Harbour Sandbanks in Wessex; Redgate and Gunwalloe Cove in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Most of these sites were de-designated due to low numbers of bathers and following an application to Defra, usually by the local authority. In some cases, sites were de-designated because the bathing water quality was classified as ‘Poor’ for five consecutive years. The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 (regulation 13) require sites to be de-designated in this circumstance and for permanent advice against bathing, in relation to at least one whole bathing season, to be issued. There can be many reasons for a ‘Poor’ bathing water classification, including run-off from agricultural land, sewage impacts and local activities. An application can be made to Defra to redesignate a site that has been de-designated as bathing water should the site meet the eligibility criteria set out in the bathing waters application guidance on GOV.UK.