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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the report of the Independent Water Commission published on 21 July; what plans they have to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations; and by when.

The Government has already responded to a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations, as set out in the statement made by the Secretary of State on 21 July.

This set out the Government’s intention to establish a single regulator for water, to include a regional element within the new regulator, to establish a new statutory water ombudsman, to end operator self-monitoring and transition to Open Monitoring, and to issue an interim Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and give Ministerial directions to the Environment Agency, setting out our expectations and requirements.

The Government will respond to Sir Jon’s recommendations in full via a White Paper, published for consultation this autumn, and a new Water Reform Bill to be introduced early this Parliament.