Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the VMD has made with its roadmap to help address the presence of chemicals from pet flea and tick treatments in UK waterways.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) leads the cross‑government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group and is taking forward a programme of work to address the presence of chemicals from pet flea and tick treatments in UK waterways. In response to detections of fipronil and imidacloprid above toxicity thresholds for aquatic invertebrates, the VMD published a roadmap setting out planned actions.
Progress includes holding the first PiE stakeholder workshop in Summer 2025, commissioning research on pet owner behaviours and exposure modelling, and working with environment agencies to improve monitoring data consistency. The VMD is also undertaking an evidence‑based review of the legal distribution categories for products containing these substances and contributing to international work to consider updates to environmental risk assessment approaches.
Asked by: Natasha Irons (Labour - Croydon East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of local councils in exercising their statutory enforcement powers to protect local waterways from pollution; and whether her Department holds data on enforcement activity by local authorities.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities do hold limited enforcement responsibilities, primarily through Environmental Health functions, for example, under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 in relation to certain industrial processes, and powers relating to flooding from ordinary watercourses. However, these are distinct from the regulation of water company discharges.
Enforcement against pollution from water companies is the responsibility of the Environment Agency, which issues discharge permits, monitors compliance, and takes civil or criminal enforcement action where offences occur. Defra sets the overall legislative and policy framework for this system, including recent reforms under the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which strengthens the ability of regulators to take faster and tougher action, including new criminal liability for company executives.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will to outline the governance framework for managing River Thames navigation assets, including the criteria and decision-making process for modifying lock structures and updating or creating base hydrological data.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) maintains a comprehensive network of local and national governance and assurance boards that oversee the safety, operational performance, and investment prioritisation of its navigation assets.
Public safety is the primary factor guiding navigation investment decisions, supported by the need to maintain and improve asset condition. Prioritisation of Government Grant‑in‑Aid funding for non‑tidal Thames navigation assets is informed by statutory requirements, service delivery standards, and customer benefits across varying asset types. Water level management and enhancements to navigation facilities also form core elements of the EA’s investment planning.
Hydrometry stations across the Thames are critical for managing water abstractions, river levels, and navigation operations. The hydrological data they provide helps maintain and update flood forecasting models and informs the design of new flood risk management schemes.
In the 2025/26 financial year, the EA invested £28 million across its navigation waterways, with £18.2 million invested along the Thames.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering bringing South East Water into public ownership.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
South East Water is one of the worst performers on water supply interruptions, and it’s important that its customers receive the compensation they deserve.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate is investigating the recent supply outages and will take appropriate enforcement action where required. South East Water was already under Ofwat investigation into their supply resilience. On 15 January, Ofwat announced a new investigation into South East Water’s compliance with the licence condition regarding customer service. The customer licence condition gives Ofwat powers to act against a water company which fails to provide appropriate support to its customers. This is the first investigation Ofwat has launched on the customer-focused licence condition.
Unravelling the current ownership model would cost the taxpayer around £100 billion and take years. Instead, we are focusing on tackling the real problems with the water industry with our root and branch reforms that will clean up the nation’s polluted waterways, turn around the sector’s performance and restore trust and accountability.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of the infrastructure of canals and waterways in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The condition of the canal and waterway infrastructure is the responsibility of the navigation authorities that own them. The two largest authorities are the Canal and River Trust with 2,000 miles of waterways, and the Environment Agency (EA) with 630 miles of river navigations. The Government provides an annual grant of £52.6 million to the Trust to support its infrastructure programme, and this financial year is providing grant-in-aid of £25 million to the EA to support its navigations.
As of 31 March 2025 (latest published figures), the Trust had 81.25% of its towpaths in conditions fair to very good (target not less than 50%), 13.77% of principal assets in conditions poor to bad (target not more than 25%), and 0.58% of flood management assets (principal culverts and embankments) in conditions poor to bad (target not more than 7%). These targets form the conditional element of the annual government grant. Trust assets are subject to a regular inspection regime by accredited inspectors. Defra officials meet the Trust’s senior management team formally three times a year to discuss the Trust’s work and use of the grant funding.
EA-owned and maintained navigation assets are also inspected by accredited inspectors as part of a risk based scheduled programme. Where identified, maintenance repairs on assets below the required condition are prioritised and allocated funding according to factors including sustaining navigation, public safety, and flood risk in the event of failure.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution made by canals and waterways to (1) the economy, and (2) the environment and wildlife.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our inland waterways are important for the natural environment by providing green corridors along which biodiversity can flourish. They also directly contribute to the growth of local economies, through domestic tourism and facilitating active transport links. They have a wider positive benefit for our economy and culture through providing many public benefits, including health and wellbeing, leisure and recreation uses, and industrial heritage attractions.
Defra officials meet regularly with the Trust to discuss a range of issues. The Trust publishes its annual Impact Report on its contribution to the economy, environment, and wildlife. The Environment Agency has not undertaken specific quantitative assessments of the contribution its waterways make to the economy, environment, and wildlife; however, its previous navigation plans acknowledge the benefits they bring.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of canal boats and other craft moored in canals and waterways in England and Wales; and of the numbers of boaters who sleep on them.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The responsibility to monitor or record the numbers of boats and boaters on canals and waterways in England and Wales rests with navigation authorities as they manage and administer boat registration and licensing regimes for the use of their waterways. The two largest navigation authorities are the Canal and River Trust and Environment Agency (EA). The Government has regular engagement with both authorities.
The Trust recorded 33,080 registered and unregistered boats on its waterways in its 2025 national boat survey. The Trust’s boat licensing requirements do not include the number of people per boat or whether they sleep on board. The EA records that there are just over 20,000 registered and unregistered boats on its waterways. It also does not collect information on the number of people who use the boats, including as their primary residence for sleeping purposes.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of regulations on sewage sludge.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the need to ensure the safe and sustainable use of sludge in agriculture to help clean up our waterways and promote healthy soil.
Noting the Independent Water Commission’s recommendation for reform, in early 2026 we will consult on reforms to how sewage sludge use in agriculture is regulated, including whether this should be included in the Environmental Permitting Regime.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the change in the level of the Canal and River Trust’s grant settlement since 2017 on the safety and integrity of inland waterways.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The current 15-year Government grant provided to the Canal and River Trust was adjusted for inflation for the first 10 years between 2012 and 2022, with the agreement clearly stating that the final five years of the grant from 2022 to 2027 would be capped at the 2022 level, which is £52.6 million a year. This represented 22% of the Trust’s total 2024/25 income of £232 million. The majority of its funding is from commercial and charitable sources, including its £1billion investment endowment. The Trust continues to have the agreed objective of reducing reliance on Government funding and progressively moving towards greater financial self-sufficiency by developing alternative income streams.
A comprehensive review of the grant funding in 2022 concluded that there was a case for continued Government funding, and the new 10-year grant of £401 million between 2027 and 2037 will continue to support the Trust.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect watercraft operating on the canal network.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Responsibility for the safety of watercraft operating on the canal network rests with the navigation authorities concerned. Requirements for insurance and compliance with the Boat Safety Scheme standards form part of the conditions set by the navigation authorities for licences to operate on their waterways.