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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of (a) co-operative and (b) mutual forms of ownership in the water industry.

The Independent Water Commission’s (IWC) final report in July found that there is no clear relationship between water company ownership models and outcomes.

The commission states that ‘With regard to alternative not-for-profit, or similar models that might be proposed by existing or prospective owners (as with Welsh Water and Kelda), the Commission believes that these models are viable and might be beneficial in some cases but that proposals need to be considered on a case-by-case basis’.

The Government is considering the IWC’s recommendations and will provide a full response in a White Paper later this year.