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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has formally responded to the Office for Environmental Protection's information notices regarding compliance with the Water Framework Directive.

This Government welcomes the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP)'s investigation, and we responded to their Information Notice on 6 March. We continue to work collaboratively with them to improve our waterways.

The Government accepts the OEP’s conclusion that not enough progress has been made in meeting the Water Framework Directive’s objectives for water quality, and that this is due to a lack of investment and action over the last 15 years since the first River Basin Management Plans were published.

Our Water White Paper sets out long-term reforms to strengthen regulation and planning, reduce pollution, and accelerate the delivery of vital infrastructure.