Independent Water Commission Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Polly Billington
Main Page: Polly Billington (Labour - East Thanet)Department Debates - View all Polly Billington's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Independent Water Commission
Polly Billington Excerpts(1 day, 18 hours ago)
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Steve Reed
Our target for sewage reduction is the most ambitious target put forward by any Government in our country’s history, and I am very proud of that. It is an important stepping-stone to restoring our rivers, lakes and seas to the good health and purity that many of us will remember from when we were younger.
Ms Polly Billington (East Thanet) (Lab)
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement, which is detailed, practical and focused on outcomes. That is in stark contrast to the ludicrous, back-of-a-fag-packet policy of the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), who claimed yesterday that he would simultaneously nationalise half the water industry, without knowing how much it would cost, and bring in more business people to run it—the people who have been free to run up debts, force up bills, dump sewage, and leave pipes broken, reservoirs dry and our lakes, seas and rivers filthy. Such people include, of course, the chief executive of Southern Water, Lawrence Gosden, who has a £1.4 million pay package that he should hand back, as my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Helena Dollimore) pointed out. However, how will the Government answer the people who say that these proposals do not go far enough and will still leave our precious water, lakes and seas in the hands of shysters and spivs?
Steve Reed
My hon. Friend is right to point out that the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), by his own admission, has “no idea” and no clue about this issue. My hon. Friend is also right that the proposals are detailed. Sir Jon provided a 450-page report with 88 separate recommendations that we will consult on. When we implement a final version, it will be the biggest overhaul to our water sector in more than a generation. We will reset it from top to bottom, so we have a water sector that works on the side of customers, the environment and investors, rather than the serial failure that we witnessed under the previous Government.