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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle environmental harm in (a) South West Norfolk constituency and (b) Norfolk.

The Environment Agency (EA) regulates businesses in energy, agriculture, and waste, and is the environmental regulator for water companies. It prosecutes polluters, protects against flood risk and coastal erosion, and is a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, working with local responders during flood incidents. In Norfolk, the EA advises on planning applications and supports Local Planning Authorities in developing Local Plans, ensuring flood risk, climate change, and water environment issues are addressed. It partners with other organisations including Local Authorities and the Police to tackle environmental waste crime using an intelligence-led enforcement approach. The EA investigates poor water quality sites and implements pollution reduction actions. Regulation of water companies has increased significantly, with over 700 inspections of Anglian Water wastewater assets completed last year - more than the previous four years combined, with plans to double inspections again this year.