Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's policies on the regulation of privatised utilities of the report by Ofwat entitled Putting the sector back in balance – summary of Ofwat’s decision on issues for PR19 business plans, published on 3 July 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Economic regulators are statutorily independent. It is for regulators to decide how to regulate the companies in the sectors for which they are responsible, in line with their duties. The Government is fully committed to a model of private ownership with strong independent economic regulation.