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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce pollution levels in rivers.

River pollution comes from a number of sources and requires a concerted efforts on many fronts which are coordinated through statutory River Basin Management Plans. We are tackling pollution from poor farming practice with regulation, financial incentives and educational schemes for farmers. In addition to government investment in many local improvement schemes, water company investment is being scaled up to £4.6 billion, the highest yet, in the next 5 year period. A new task force comprising government and water companies will help address the problem of sewage discharge from storm overflows and our new chemicals strategy will build on an already robust statutory regime to ensure chemicals are managed and handled safely. The Environment Agency is now in the process of developing the River Basin Management Plans that will run from 2021-2027.