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1385424

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
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 instructing the Environment Agency to require water providers to publish their mapped sewage pollution data for areas in which they have sewage outlets in rivers or watercourses.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	87818
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2021 answer text <p>Working with water companies, the Environment Agency has concluded a programme to install Event Duration Monitors (EDM) on the vast majority of storm overflows, just over 80% of overflows in England, by the end of 2020. These monitors provide a robust and consistent way of monitoring how often and for how long storm overflows are used. By the end of 2023, the remaining number will be monitored.</p><p>Our landmark Environment Act places a direct duty on Water Companies and the Environment Agency to publish this sewage discharge data, building on the commitments to openness and transparency made through the Defra led Storm Overflows taskforce. This data was published for the first time in March 2021 for data in 2020.</p><p>The Environment Act also goes further, requiring water companies to monitor both the upstream and downstream impacts of their assets and to notify of spills in near real time (within 1 hour). The government will be bringing forward implementing legislation in respect of these duties in due course. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, also legislated for in the Environment Act, is due to be published in September 2022.</p><p>It will be up to individual water companies to take account of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and other guidance when considering specific local projects to be included as part of their business plans.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 87819 87822 87823 question first answered 16/12/2021 12:28:27 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1385425

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
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 merits of requiring water providers to produce live day-to-day reporting of sewage discharges into rivers and watercourses they are responsible for.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	87819
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2021 answer text <p>Working with water companies, the Environment Agency has concluded a programme to install Event Duration Monitors (EDM) on the vast majority of storm overflows, just over 80% of overflows in England, by the end of 2020. These monitors provide a robust and consistent way of monitoring how often and for how long storm overflows are used. By the end of 2023, the remaining number will be monitored.</p><p>Our landmark Environment Act places a direct duty on Water Companies and the Environment Agency to publish this sewage discharge data, building on the commitments to openness and transparency made through the Defra led Storm Overflows taskforce. This data was published for the first time in March 2021 for data in 2020.</p><p>The Environment Act also goes further, requiring water companies to monitor both the upstream and downstream impacts of their assets and to notify of spills in near real time (within 1 hour). The government will be bringing forward implementing legislation in respect of these duties in due course. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, also legislated for in the Environment Act, is due to be published in September 2022.</p><p>It will be up to individual water companies to take account of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and other guidance when considering specific local projects to be included as part of their business plans.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 87818 87822 87823 question first answered 16/12/2021 12:28:27 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1385426

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
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	Sewage: Waste Disposal
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 ability of water utilities to make unpermitted sewage discharges during the investigation recently launched by the Environment Agency and Ofwat; and what steps he plans to take towards those utilities before the conclusion of that investigation in the event that such action occurred.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	87820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2021 answer text <p>The investigation launched by the Environment Agency on 18 November 2021 aims to determine the extent of any non-compliance with environmental permit conditions relating to flows treated and discharged from sewage treatment works within England. Any non-compliances identified will be subject to enforcement action, up to and including prosecution, depending on the nature or severity of the offence, in accordance with the Environment Agency Enforcement and Sanctions Policy. It is the water companies’ responsibility to take action to return to compliance as soon as possible where breaches of permit are identified. The Environment Agency and Ofwat are working together to ensure that water companies meet this requirement.</p><p> </p><p>I met with water companies recently to make clear that the number of sewage discharges is completely unacceptable and that we will not hesitate to take further action, on top of those already set out in the Environment Act, if necessary.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 14/12/2021 14:07:07 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1385427

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
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	Water Companies: Investment Income
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 implications for his policies of analysis by David Hall, of the Public Services International Research Unit at the University of Greenwich, which found that English water and sewerage companies have paid shareholders a total of £16.9 billion in dividends since 2010 to 2021.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	87821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/12/2021 answer text <p>Decisions on dividends for water company shareholders are made by water company boards. Company boards carry out these decisions within the framework of regulatory price controls, licence conditions and company law. Ofwat is responsible for economic regulation of the water companies.</p><p> </p><p>Ofwat introduced reforms to financial and corporate practices which require water companies to:</p><p> </p><ul><li>share any benefits of higher levels of debt with customers;</li><li>increase financial resilience; and</li><li>be transparent about how executive performance pay and dividends relate to services for customers.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Ofwat monitors water companies’ performance closely. If companies do not meet their obligations, Ofwat will take the necessary regulatory action to protect customers’ interests. Ofwat has made underperforming companies pay out of their own profits either to reduce bills to their customers or to invest in improving services.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 14/12/2021 16:30:29 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1385428

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
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 effectiveness of regulations on water providers on notifying customers of sewage discharges those companies are responsible for into rivers and watercourses.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	87822
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2021 answer text <p>Working with water companies, the Environment Agency has concluded a programme to install Event Duration Monitors (EDM) on the vast majority of storm overflows, just over 80% of overflows in England, by the end of 2020. These monitors provide a robust and consistent way of monitoring how often and for how long storm overflows are used. By the end of 2023, the remaining number will be monitored.</p><p>Our landmark Environment Act places a direct duty on Water Companies and the Environment Agency to publish this sewage discharge data, building on the commitments to openness and transparency made through the Defra led Storm Overflows taskforce. This data was published for the first time in March 2021 for data in 2020.</p><p>The Environment Act also goes further, requiring water companies to monitor both the upstream and downstream impacts of their assets and to notify of spills in near real time (within 1 hour). The government will be bringing forward implementing legislation in respect of these duties in due course. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, also legislated for in the Environment Act, is due to be published in September 2022.</p><p>It will be up to individual water companies to take account of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and other guidance when considering specific local projects to be included as part of their business plans.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 87818 87819 87823 question first answered 16/12/2021 12:28:27 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1385429

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
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	Budds Farm Waste Water Treatment Works
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 merits of including a Budds Farm treatment centre within the storm overflow discharge reduction plan.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	87823
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2021 answer text <p>Working with water companies, the Environment Agency has concluded a programme to install Event Duration Monitors (EDM) on the vast majority of storm overflows, just over 80% of overflows in England, by the end of 2020. These monitors provide a robust and consistent way of monitoring how often and for how long storm overflows are used. By the end of 2023, the remaining number will be monitored.</p><p>Our landmark Environment Act places a direct duty on Water Companies and the Environment Agency to publish this sewage discharge data, building on the commitments to openness and transparency made through the Defra led Storm Overflows taskforce. This data was published for the first time in March 2021 for data in 2020.</p><p>The Environment Act also goes further, requiring water companies to monitor both the upstream and downstream impacts of their assets and to notify of spills in near real time (within 1 hour). The government will be bringing forward implementing legislation in respect of these duties in due course. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, also legislated for in the Environment Act, is due to be published in September 2022.</p><p>It will be up to individual water companies to take account of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and other guidance when considering specific local projects to be included as part of their business plans.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 87818 87819 87822 question first answered 16/12/2021 12:28:27 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1382656

registered interest
date	26/11/2021
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: Contamination
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 risk to human health from rivers.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	82368
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2021 answer text <p>Improving water quality is a Government priority and we are taking significant action in this area for people and nature. The Environment Act sets a duty on the Government to publish a storm overflow discharge reduction plan by September 2022. This plan will address reducing the adverse impacts on public health of sewage discharges from storm overflows.</p><p> </p><p>Where rivers are designated as Bathing Waters, the Environment Agency monitors water quality and classifies bathing waters in line with the health protective standards of the Bathing Water Regulations (2013) and publishes an annual classification of Poor, Sufficient, Good or Excellent. It must also exercise its pollution control powers to achieve at least Sufficient status. Currently there is one river with designated Bathing Water Status, the River Wharfe at Ilkley. This was monitored for the first time during the 2021 Bathing Water Season (15th May - 30th September). The classification result will be published in January 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency publishes a profile for each designated Bathing Water on its Swimfo website (<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenvironment.data.gov.uk%2Fbwq%2Fprofiles%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C1e040dc5c12f4aa40e2a08d9b414538e%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C637738821650463871%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=MR0tYiJqoVNyibQ1QZ2fEd7KWyiE9OksQV9t4HnApvw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/</a>), which provides water quality testing results, the annual classification and information on pollution sources affecting each Bathing Water.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency (formerly Public Health England) have published Swim Healthy guidance on Gov.UK</p><p>(<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fswim-healthy-leaflet&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C1e040dc5c12f4aa40e2a08d9b414538e%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C637738821650473840%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=uUUnPQMioAo97dsU9AsLo006ynBg4tVDLy17%2B2g499U%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swim-healthy-leaflet</a>).</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 81927 82068 82124 question first answered 30/11/2021 15:33:38 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1382657

registered interest
date	26/11/2021
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	Beaches and 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 recent assessment his Department has made of the potential financial impact to small and local business based near beaches and rivers of days rendered unswimmable as a result of sewage pollution.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	82369
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2021 answer text <p>The Government has not made an assessment of the impact on riverside SMEs of local sewage pollution.</p><p>However, the Government has been clear that the water industry’s levels of sewage discharges from storm overflows are unacceptable and has made tackling this a priority. We are the first Government to take concerted action to tackle this historic infrastructure issue, including through the Environment Act. The provisions in the Environment Act place a duty on the water industry to achieve a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts caused by storm overflows. These include adverse impacts on public health.</p><p>The Government will publish a report before 1 September 2022 on the actions necessary, including the costs and benefits of the elimination of storm overflows. The report will consider a range of benefits, including those to business.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 81928 82069 question first answered 03/12/2021 14:01:06 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1347625

registered interest
date	16/07/2021
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	Southern Water
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Progress made but too many water companies still falling short, published on 13 July 2021, when he plans to meet Southern Water to discuss sewage and waste water to spill into the environment; and if he will make it his policy to publish the minutes of that meeting.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	34566
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/07/2021 answer text <p>The Secretary of State will meet with Southern Water following summer recess.</p><p> </p><p>I met with Southern Water’s CEO and management team in April this year to discuss their environmental performance as part of regular engagement between Ministers, Defra officials and Southern Water. My officials will be meeting with Southern Water this week to discuss their 2020 Environmental Performance Assessment and overall performance.</p><p> </p><p>We do not routinely publish minutes of ministerial meetings.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 21/07/2021 13:01:59 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1346923

registered interest
date	14/07/2021
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	Southern Water
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 (a) quality, (b) accuracy and (c) timeliness of the data the Environment Agency receives from Southern Water on statutory pollution notifications in (a) Langstone Harbour and (b) other areas for which that Southern Water is responsible; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	33315
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2021 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) requires Southern Water Services Limited to report all pollution incidents caused by any of their assets in a timely and accurate manner, whether or not the asset benefits from an Environmental Permit.</p><p> </p><p>Incidents are assessed for their potential impact on the environment. The EA reviews the circumstances and any evidence available for incidents that have the potential to cause significant impact. The EA will assess compliance with any statutory or non-statutory reporting requirements on an individual basis. Where the quality of Southern Water’s initial report is insufficient for an accurate assessment of environmental impact to be made, it will liaise with the company to obtain full details. Breaches of Environmental Permit conditions relating to reporting of incidents are dealt with in accordance with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanction Policy.</p><p> </p><p>The EA records and tracks data pertaining to these incidents, including the timeliness of reporting, which forms the basis of regular performance meetings with the company. Data is also published annually in the Environmental Performance Assessment of water companies.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 19/07/2021 13:50:22 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan