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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect chalk streams from untreated sewage.

The Government is committed to the protection and restoration of our cherished chalk streams.

That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further action to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. The review's final recommendations will be published and shared with the UK and Welsh Governments this summer.

Sites such as Chalk Streams will be prioritised as part of the record £11 billion of investment to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows in England and Wales during PR24, with 75% of such High Priority Sites needing to be improved by 2035 and the rest by 2045. By 2050 we expect no storm overflow spill to cause any adverse ecological harm and spill no more than 10 times per year.