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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as part of their water resource management responsibilities, water companies have been asked to look beyond their boundaries to secure sufficient water supply to satisfy future customer demand.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ofwat and the Environment Agency published joint water resources management planning guidance in 2012. This included the expectation that water companies should consider all options to balance supply with demand, including water trading, cross boundary solutions and third party supplier solutions. Updated guidance is currently being prepared for publication for the next planning round.