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Written question asked by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 October 2025 (named day). It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Monday, 27 October 2025 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Reservoirs: Farms

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of qualified engineers to certify the construction of agricultural reservoirs; and what steps her Department is taking to increase capacity in this area.

Answer

Reservoirs capable of holding over 25,000m3 water above ground level are regulated under the Reservoirs Act 1975. Not all agricultural reservoirs will fall into this category. Anyone building one which does must appoint an engineer to oversee the construction. That engineer must be one who has been appointed by Ministers to a relevant panel. They are listed here.

The Department strongly supports the need to boost the supply and capacity of reservoir panel engineers. Defra is working with the devolved governments and Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) to: enhance engineer training and development; improve access to engineers for smaller reservoir owners; reach out to adjacent engineering sectors to boost recruitment; and review the existing panel structure to support engineer career progression. This is part of a wider programme of reservoir safety reform Reservoir Safety Reform Programme | Engage Environment Agency.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
84067
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Construction Farms Reservoirs Engineers
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk