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 he has made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in preventing water companies from prioritising shareholder returns over environmental protection.

A stable and effective regulatory framework is crucial in attracting sustained investment to the sector.  The Government supports Ofwat imposing tougher rules on water company dividends and bonuses, so that consumer bills never reward pollution. Ofwat want to see improved transparency of environmental outcomes, enabling customers and stakeholders to understand progress and challenge companies on performance.