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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his departments consultation entitled Water industry: government’s strategic policy statement for Ofwat, which closed on 15 October 2021, if he will take steps to consult with hon. Members before the publication of the strategic policy statement.

A draft of the Strategic Policy Statement for Ofwat (SPS) was published for consultation on 22 July 2021. The consultation was open to the public until 15 October 2021. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) provided a response to the consultation. I gave oral evidence to the EAC's Water Quality in Rivers inquiry on 15 September 2021, where the SPS was discussed. A draft of the strategic policy statement will be laid in Parliament in the New Year for a 40 day period, where it will then directly inform the Price Review process, including Ofwat’s draft methodology due to be published in summer 2022.