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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times Ministers met water companies between 1 June and 31 August 2022; and how many of those meetings were on (a) leaking water pipes and (b) drought preparedness.

Then Defra Secretary of State George Eustice and Minister Steve Double met with the CEOs of all water companies on the 10 Aug 2022 to discuss their current water supplies and precautionary measures to safeguard water supplies through summer and autumn. This included discussions on responding to leakage.

Minister Double met separately with the South West Water and Affinity Water. Further information on ministerial meetings can be found here - Defra's ministerial meetings, July to September 2022 - GOV.UK (publishing.service.gov.uk)

In addition, Minister Double attended the National Drought Group (NDG) on 12 and 23 August 2022. This group is made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key representative groups

discuss the response to the dry weather and leakage.