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 the report entitled Independent Water Commission: review of the water sector, updated on 29 July 2025, whether she plans to introduce a comprehensive systems planning framework with responsibility for (a) integrated and (b) holistic water system planning.

The Government will respond to the recommendations published in the final report of the Independent Water Commission through a White Paper. We will bring forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment and restore trust and accountability. Together with the building blocks the Government has already put in place, this will mark the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation.

The Government's day-one response committed to a regional approach to water system planning, including a catchment-based model to strengthen local involvement and tackle all sources of water pollution more effectively.