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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that water companies have sufficient supplies of water to meet customer needs.

This Government has made it a priority to ensure safe and secure supplies of water for customers. Statutory Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs) set out how water companies intend to deliver a secure supply of water for customers. Every 5 years water companies are required to publish new WRMPs, and the latest (2024) plans have been scrutinised by the Environment Agency and Ofwat to ensure companies can meet future challenges.

The 2024 WRMPs include:

• Halving leakage by 2050 (compared to 2019)

• Reducing consumption to 110 litres per person per day by 2050

• 75% of households on smart water meters by 2040

• 10 new reservoirs and 1 reservoir enlargement

• 9 new desalination schemes

• 7 new water recycling schemes

• multiple new internal and inter-company transfers to share resources

The Government is supporting delivery of the WRMP commitments, for instance the planned implementation of a mandatory water efficiency label, which will require water efficiency labelling of plumbing products and water-using white goods, enabling consumer choice based on efficiency.