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Water Strategy

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Linda Gilroy). She has done a huge amount of work through her membership of the all-party group on water, as her remarks demonstrate, and she clearly has an in-depth understanding of the issue. I shall not repeat the arguments that we have heard, but I shall make a few brief remarks, because water is an issue that is rising up everyone's agenda. It will certainly rise up my constituents' agenda, because their council tax bills, energy bills and water bills will rise above inflation. Water is one factor that is contributing to a squeeze on people's income, and it must be addressed. Water was the most significant issue that constituents raised with me before I was elected, and it has been since, just as it has been for my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor). It is fantastic that it has risen up the Government's agenda, too: they now have their ““Future Water”” strategy, which they published just a month ago, and Ofwat is conducting a review. I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate, because the worry is that the Government's primary concern is to deal with water-stressed areas. If one reads ““Future Water””, one sees lots about improving environmental standards and dealing with water-stressed areas; however, in the south-west, the fundamental problem is not availability of water, but the cost owing to the fundamental structural problems that existed at the point of privatisation. My hon. Friend has done a great job of ensuring that water affordability is on the agenda. Although it is great that it has made it into the Government's ““Future Water”” strategy, it is tagged on to a few pages at the back, and there is a danger that now that is in the document, it will be overlooked. I hope that that will not be the case. Following the meeting with the Minister before Christmas, it was fantastic to see water affordability included in the Government' strategy, but as I said the key thing is to make sure that it does not slide off the agenda. There have been some other concessions in the past few years. The water affordability pilot has helped households across the whole of the South West Water area. Tribute must be paid to the way that South West Water has pushed that pilot forward: it has really driven forward the agenda by ensuring that as many households as possible are opened up to the scheme. It is continuing to roll the scheme out to make it available to as many people as possible, and the company has made every effort to be as helpful as it possibly can to individuals who come to me for help.