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1713452

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether planning authorities are required to undertake checks to prevent the discharge of sewage or dirty mains water into rivers from individual (a) residential and (b) commercial properties.
tabling member constituency	South West Bedfordshire
tabling member printed	Andrew Selous
uin	23437
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The National Planning Policy Framework outlines the expectations for water-compatible development, which should make sufficient provision for water supply and pumping stations, wastewater, waste management and flood control infrastructure.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 02/05/2024 10:31:28 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous

1696156

registered interest
date	14/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of infrastructure in preventing sewage releases into rivers.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18739
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>Through the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows, driving the largest infrastructure programme in water company history of £60 billion over 25 years. We expect water companies to utilise a natural capital approach, considering carbon reduction and biodiversity net gain, as well as catchment level and nature-based solutions in their planning where possible.</p><p> </p><p>Water company investment in environmental improvements has been scaled up to £7.1 billion over the period 2020 – 25. This includes £3.1 billion invested in storm overflow improvements specifically. Moreover, we expect water companies to use the next five-year Price Review period (2025-2030) to set bold and ambitious plans that deliver for people and the environment.</p><p> </p><p>On 11 March, the Government announced additional fast-tracked investment of £180m over the next 12 months into improving sewer infrastructure. This is expected to prevent more than 8000 sewage spills polluting English waterways.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 25/03/2024 17:05:18 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1696157

registered interest
date	14/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to move water companies that do not restrict sewage spills under an operator of last resort.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18740
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>There is no operator of last resort for water companies. Ofwat monitors the performance and financial position of all water companies and publishes results on these annually. Ofwat will take action when water company performance is not at the level Government expect, or if their investors need to strengthen their long-term financial resilience.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is holding the water industry to account on a scale never seen before. We have legislated to introduce unlimited penalties on water companies who breach their environmental permits and expand the range of offences to which penalties can be applied. Furthermore, on 20 February, the Government and Environment Agency (EA) announced that they will quadruple the number of water company inspections to crack down on poor performing companies.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to hold water companies to account and if there are illegal breaches of permits, the regulators will not hesitate to take robust action.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 25/03/2024 16:09:36 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1696159

registered interest
date	14/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to provide public health warnings over the risk to (a) people and (b) animals of entering rivers into which sewage has been released.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18742
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government directed water companies to increase their storm overflow monitoring in 2013 and achieved 100% event duration monitoring (EDM) coverage before the end of 2023. EDM data shows when storm overflows are discharging, and how long discharges have lasted for. The wealth of data collected from these monitors will ensure that we know the full extent of the problem – increasing transparency, revealing the worst-offending overflows, and enabling regulators to hold polluters to account.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Environment Agency takes over 7,000 samples each year at England’s 424 designated bathing waters, which are used to determine the annual bathing water classifications. These classifications are displayed on signage at bathing waters and online on the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website, to allow bathers to make informed decisions before entering the water. If there is a pollution incident, a notification is posted on the Swimfo website and on signage at the bathing water. Throughout the bathing season, the Environment Agency makes daily pollution risk forecasts for a number of bathing waters, where water quality may be temporarily reduced due to factors such as heavy rainfall, wind or the tide. When a temporary reduction in water quality is forecast, the Environment Agency issues a pollution risk warning and advice against bathing, enabling bathers to avoid times or locations where the risk of pollution is higher than normal and health risks from bathing may be higher than the annual classification suggests. To reduce risk to health from bathing waters, the UK Health Security Agency and the Environment Agency offer advice in their ‘Swim Healthy’ guidance, which is available to read before making any decision on swimming.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 25/03/2024 16:07:22 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1696160

registered interest
date	14/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects sewage releases into (a) the River Foss, (b) the River Ouse and (c) their tributaries to stop.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18743
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government is clear that the amount of sewage currently being discharged into our waters is unacceptable. Through the government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce the use of storm overflows. Our Plan will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050.</p><p> </p><p>In 2023 the Environment Agency carried out 17 targeted compliance inspections of Yorkshire Water’s waste-water treatment works which discharge into the Foss/Ouse and their tributaries.</p><p> </p><p>Within the current Price Review Period, which runs from 2020 to 2025, Yorkshire Water will be improving Hutton and Stillington treatment works, which discharge into the Foss catchment, in order to ensure they comply with requirements under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). These improvements should reduce Phosphorus from the final effluent, and drive improvement of the WFD status.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 02/04/2024 13:06:48 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1696161

registered interest
date	14/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) sewage and (b) other contaminants in the river system on the food chain.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	18744
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government's Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan (SODRP) was extended in 2023 with further stringent targets on the use of storm overflows to protect people and the environment, prioritising for early action areas used for bathing, for growing shellfish, or with high ecological importance.</p><p> </p><p>This plan will eliminate ecological harm from all storm sewage discharges by 2050, protecting biodiversity the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come. In addition to the formulation of the SODRP, we produced an <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F651162052f404b0014c3d83c%2FImpact_Assessment_September_2023.pdf&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C1687e24ebea84ba2b63e08dc65e7a435%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638497292784558641%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uFCljEkz%2BUPk%2FhhSlyoKzntKV0MDDRdhz4bT4XAXths%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">impact assessment</a> which assesses the quality of evidence regarding environmental, public health and social impacts of storm overflow operation.</p><p> </p><p>The SODRP targets will be reviewed in 2027 when new information is available to see if water companies can go further or faster.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 02/05/2024 10:50:05 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1694660

registered interest
date	07/03/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of septic tanks on the cleanliness of rivers; and if he will make it his policy to ban septic tanks (a) in the catchment areas of chalk streams and (b) near other watercourses.
tabling member constituency	Devizes
tabling member printed	Danny Kruger
uin	17689
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>Large numbers of properties in rural areas of England rely on on-site water treatment systems as they are not connected to mains sewerage systems. Septic tanks, the most common on-site sewage treatment systems in these areas, are regulated to ensure they are maintained properly and do not cause pollution. Through our long-term Plan for Water, the Government is committed to delivering a clean water environment for people and nature, including the impact of private sewerage systems on chalk streams. This aligns with our broader commitment to review private sewage discharges regulation to manage environmental risk.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 18/03/2024 16:57:54 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4858 label Biography information for Danny Kruger

1692516

registered interest
date	28/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to neutralise sewage in rivers.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	16247
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2024 answer text <p>Through the Government's expanded Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in September 2023, we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce their use of storm overflows.</p><p> </p><p>The Plan requires that water companies must significantly reduce harmful pathogens from storm overflows discharging near designated bathing waters, by either: applying disinfection; or reducing the frequency of discharges to meet Environment Agency spill standards by 2035. It also sets out that water companies will only be permitted to discharge from a storm overflow where they can demonstrate that there is no local adverse ecological impact. This target must be achieved for all storm overflows in England by 2050.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, new provisions in the Water Industry Act, inserted by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, will address pollution at source by placing a new statutory duty on water companies in designated catchments to upgrade wastewater treatment works by 2030, reducing the impact of sewage on our waterways and the people who use them.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 08/03/2024 13:43:33 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1692128

registered interest
date	27/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what compensation do water companies who have released sewage into the river pay to (a) residents and (b) businesses when they flood with contaminated water.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	15951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government considers the level of sewage being discharged to our waterways to be unacceptable. However, sewage is sometimes released to waterways under strict conditions to avoid it backing up into peoples’ homes and businesses.</p><p> </p><p>Water companies are obliged to provide sewerage services under the Water Industry Act 1991. If a water company has failed to provide minimum standards of service to consumers, consumers are entitled to complain to their provider. We expect companies to respond to complaints appropriately and in a timely manner.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is acting to drive down flood risk from every angle. At the last spending review the government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year, so now over £200 million per year goes on maintenance. This funding ensures flood defences are kept in good working order.</p><p> </p><p>Homeowners and businesses should contact their insurance provider if their property has been flooded. Flood Re is a joint government and insurance industry re-insurance scheme for UK households at high flood risk, available via more than 85 insurance brands.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore grouped question UIN 18745 question first answered 09/04/2024 09:38:23 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1692130

registered interest
date	27/02/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Rivers: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how river water quality is tested for sewage releases.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	15953
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2024 answer text <p>Monitoring data provides the Environment Agency (EA) with information for different needs and uses, including environmental health surveillance, effective regulation and incident management. Various monitoring programmes fulfil these information needs.</p><p> </p><p>The EA‘s monitoring collects and makes available essential measurements on water quality (chemistry and physico-chemistry), ecology (including fish, invertebrates, plants and algae), all of which can be impacted by sewage. Where there is a serious incident involving the release of untreated sewage, which could have a significant impact on the environment, the EA may collect samples to determine the level of impact, and in some cases for the provision of evidence in formal investigations.</p><p> </p><p>To aid further monitoring, the government has brought forward new measures under the Environment Act 2021 to require sewerage undertakers to monitor sewerage assets and the impact they have on the local environment. This data will allow water companies to better target their investments in infrastructure and allow regulators to monitor how successful these improvements are.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Robbie Moore question first answered 08/03/2024 13:46:44 answering member 4861 label Biography information for Robbie Moore
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell