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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of enforcement powers available to the Environment Agency regarding sewage discharges by water companies.

The Government keeps the Environment Agency’s (EA) powers to address sewage discharges under regular review. We introduced the Water (Special Measures) Act to increase accountability, strengthen sanctions, and make pollution coverups a criminal offence.

Our 'New Vision for Water' White Paper, published earlier this year, sets out further reforms, including tighter discharge limits, enhanced monitoring requirements, and the creation of a new single water regulator with stronger, more proactive enforcement tools to ensure water companies are held fully to account for sewage pollution.

The Government is also bringing forward measures to strengthen the EA’s ability to act swiftly and proportionately on minor to moderate environmental offences, including those related to sewage discharges. Through forthcoming secondary legislation, we intend to introduce new civil-standard variable monetary penalties and automatic penalties.

These tools will enable quicker, more targeted enforcement for minor and moderate breaches, complementing existing powers such as prosecution and criminal-standard penalties, and ensuring water companies face clear and immediate consequences for noncompliance.