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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of testing water quality under the water framework directive annually instead of every three years.

The Environment Agency (EA) samples and analyses local water body information continuously throughout the year. Under the Water Framework Directive, the EA must publish the sample results at least every six years as a national classification inform River Basin Management Plans. The EA also publishes an interim updates every three years. This is the best use of resources given the natural environment takes time to respond to changes.

We are making significant improvement to our monitoring to give a fuller, more accurate picture of our water bodies. The flagship Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment programme will provide a statistically robust baseline assessment of the health of waters at a national scale.

The independent commission into the water sector regulatory system was launched by UK and Welsh Governments in October 2024. The commission is reviewing the Water Framework Directive and the associated monitoring system. The Commission will report to the UK and Welsh Governments by the end of June 2025.