Water Companies

Baroness Coffey Excerpts

Tuesday 9th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We are not telling farmers and landowners that they cannot do that. There are ways in which we can work with farmers and landowners to allow the building of small water-holding areas. I will discuss this further with the Farming Minister, but it is something that we are already looking at.

[Baroness Coffey (Con)]

My Lords, the Minister was kind enough to reply to my Written Questions about what the Environment Agency in 2021 said was going to be its biggest ever criminal investigation. Five years on, with six charges potentially laid, there has been only one conviction so far. I encourage the Minister to work with her colleagues and fellow Ministers so that, when the water Bill does come through, a lot more power is given to the Secretary of State, as is happening with the Health Bill, so that we can get a move on with making sure that people go to jail when they need to and that we avoid this systemic failure in the first place.

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

The noble Baroness raises an important point, not just on the water Bill that is coming forward but more broadly. I get very frustrated when we put in laws that should make a difference and then enforcement does not happen or things take too long. It is a really important point that the noble Baroness makes. Obviously, we will be debating the clean water Bill, and I am sure that enforcement and what we do about criminal behaviour will be part of those discussions.