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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to amend the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017.

In October 2024 the UK and Welsh Government launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, this is the third stage of the Government’s water strategy and is the largest review of the industry since privatisation.

The Commission will publish an interim report soon and final report later this summer with recommendations to the Government on how to tackle inherited systemic issues in the water sector. The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) and River Basin Management Plans are in scope of the Commission.

The UK and Welsh Government will respond to the report and consult on proposals they intend to take forward to fundamentally transform how the nation’s water system operates to tackle pollution and deliver a resilient water supply, turbocharge investment, and speed up the delivery of infrastructure upgrades to clean up the nation’s waterways.

The Corry Review into Defra’s regulatory landscape, published in April this year, has identified the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 along with other regulations as a priority for reform. The review recommends modernising these regulations to ensure they are outcome-focused, proportionate and fit for the future- supporting both nature recovery and sustainable growth. Defra is actively considering implementation of the recommendations from the review.