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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the effectiveness of the regulatory framework for water companies and (b) the its potential impact on (i) strengthening personal accountability for water company executives and directors involved in serious environmental breaches and (ii) restricting bonuses and other financial rewards where companies have failed to meet their obligations.

Through the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, the Government has introduced most significant increase in water regulator enforcement powers in a decade, giving regulators stronger powers to hold executives accountable for obstructing investigations, impose automatic penalties, and block executive bonuses. Ofwat has blocked over £4 million in potential bonuses from being paid in its first year using the new powers.