Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much money Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water paid to the Crown Estates in relation to their activities in (1) Wales, and (2) England in the financial year 2023–24.

The Government recognises there is a public interest in transparency in relation to how public money is managed. However, in this case, disclosure of information would be likely to prejudice The Crown Estate’s position in relation to future business negotiations with other water companies.

If The Crown Estate is unable to obtain best value, this could have a detrimental effect on the amount of money The Crown Estate returns to the public purse. On that basis, the Government believes the public interest weights in favour of withholding this information at this point in time.