Written question asked by Siân Berry (Green Party) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 July 2026. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Water Charges: Universal Credit

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to help ensure consistency between water companies in the inclusion of Universal Credit housing costs when calculating household income.

Answer: Water companies are responsible for the design of their social tariffs and may take different approaches when assessing household income, including when considering Universal Credit and housing cost. Government is working with industry to keep support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. In addition, we are reforming the statutory WaterSure scheme, including extending eligibility and increasing support for qualifying households.

Secondary information