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 make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed increases to water bills by Thames Water in the period to 2030 on households in relative poverty.

We understand the financial pressures hardworking families are currently facing, especially as many people have been impacted by cost-of-living challenges.

Firmer action should have been taken over the last fourteen years to ensure money was spent on fixing the water and sewage system, not syphoned off for bonuses and dividend payments.

I am angry that over a decade of Conservative failure means customers will now have to pay higher bills to fix the system - this didn't need to happen.

But while I can’t undo the failure of the past – I can stop it happening again.

That is why I have announced reforms to ensure that funding for vital infrastructure will now be ringfenced, meaning it can only be spent on upgrades that benefit customers and the environment, not diverted to pay bonuses, dividends or salary increases.

Where money for investment isn’t spent, companies will refund it to their customers.

We are going further to work with the sector to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. All water companies, including Thames Water, offer affordability support for households who struggle to pay their bills in full including WaterSure and social tariffs, payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and financial advice referral arrangements.