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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish his Department's contingency plan for the potential event of Thames Water's collapse.

Water companies are commercial entities. It is not appropriate to comment on the position of specific companies. However, as you would expect, the Government prepares for a range of scenarios across its regulated industries – including water – as any government would. It is the Defra Secretary of State’s responsibility to develop these plans for the water industry and it would not be appropriate to publish these plans.