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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled Government unveils biggest overhaul to water in a generation, published on 19 January 2026, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of households experiencing water disruption each year which will be resolved as a result of her Water White Paper, once implemented.

The Government’s New Vision for Water sets out our plans to being forward measures specifically designed to improve the resilience of our water infrastructure and minimise disruption for customers.

This includes providing the new, integrated water regulator with powers to conduct ‘no-notice’ inspections to bolster enforcement of the Security and Emergency Measures Direction which requires water companies to be prepared to respond to disruption to water supplies in the first place. In addition, a new Chief Engineer will be embedded in the new regulator to oversee company behaviour, and guide companies to focus on fixing crumbling pipes and treatment works, as part of stronger, prevention-first measures to mitigate future disruption.

Where disruption occurs, the Government has already taken action to update the Guaranteed Standards Scheme, doubling – or more than doubling – compensation levels and adding new standards, to hold companies to account and stand up for customers.