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Written Question
Thames Water
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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 publish the minutes of meetings that officials in his Department have had with Thames Water on Operation Timber in each of the last 6 months.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Permanent Secretary and senior officials in my department hold meetings with water companies, including Thames Water, on a regular basis to discuss issues affecting the water sector. As water companies are commercial entities, it is neither appropriate to comment on specific water companies, on the frequency of any such meetings nor publish any minutes of those meetings.


Written Question
Thames Water
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Permanent Secretary of his Department last met officials from Thames Water to discuss Operation Timber.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Permanent Secretary and senior officials in my department hold meetings with water companies, including Thames Water, on a regular basis to discuss issues affecting the water sector. As water companies are commercial entities, it is neither appropriate to comment on specific water companies, on the frequency of any such meetings nor publish any minutes of those meetings.


Written Question
Thames Water
Wednesday 20th March 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings the permanent secretary of his Department has held with Thames Water on Operation Timber in the last 12 months.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Permanent Secretary and senior officials in my department hold meetings with water companies, including Thames Water, on a regular basis to discuss issues affecting the water sector. As water companies are commercial entities, it is neither appropriate to comment on specific water companies, on the frequency of any such meetings nor publish any minutes of those meetings.


Written Question
Water Companies: Meetings
Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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 publish the (a) attendance at and (b) minutes of his meeting with water company executives on 23 January 2024.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Secretary held a roundtable with water company CEOs on 23 January to discuss their performance and necessary improvements. This follows his letter to water companies late last year, calling for increased sewer management to prevent storm overflows.

The roundtable formed part of Defra’s ongoing engagement with the sector and our Plan for Water to drive more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement to hold water companies to account.

Details of external ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis.


Written Question
Thames Water
Wednesday 14th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

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 publish his Department's contingency plan for the potential event of Thames Water's collapse.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies are commercial entities. It is not appropriate to comment on the position of specific companies. However, as you would expect, the Government prepares for a range of scenarios across its regulated industries – including water – as any government would. It is the Defra Secretary of State’s responsibility to develop these plans for the water industry and it would not be appropriate to publish these plans.


Written Question
Thames Water
Wednesday 14th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Minister has responsibility for drawing up contingency plans in case of the potential collapse of Thames Water.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies are commercial entities. It is not appropriate to comment on the position of specific companies. However, as you would expect, the Government prepares for a range of scenarios across its regulated industries – including water – as any government would. It is the Defra Secretary of State’s responsibility to develop these plans for the water industry and it would not be appropriate to publish these plans.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministers' Private Offices
Friday 9th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2024 to Question 11394 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministers' Private Offices, what the cost of each refurbishment was.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministerial Boxes
Tuesday 6th February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The department has no record of any ministerial boxes being lost or stolen in the last three years.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministers' Private Offices
Thursday 1st February 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any refurbishments have been made to ministerial offices in his Department in each of the last two years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Refurbishments made to ministerial offices in Defra (all in Marsham Street, London) in each of the last two years have been:

  • January 2022: creation of a Minister’s office for an additional appointment
  • September 2022: ergonomic chair for health and safety workplace adjustment consideration
  • November 2022: installation of whiteboards
  • January 2023: creation of a departmental media suite
  • January 2023: repair and replacement of 14 meeting room chairs’ upholstery due to significant wear since 1997
  • December 2023: creation of a Minister’s office for an additional appointment
  • December 2023: limited remedial work on an office wall due to removal of whiteboard

Each of these refurbishments strives to strike a balance between value for the taxpayer and ensuring that staff are able to do their job effectively.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Bullying and Harassment
Friday 19th January 2024

Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many settlement payments his Department issued following claims of (a) bullying, (b) harassment and (c) discrimination in the (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22 and (iv) 2022-23 financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There is no record of settlement issued following claims of bullying, harassment or discrimination in the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 or 2022-23 financial years.