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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 107385 on Ofwat: Equality, whether Ofwat intends to amend its policy approach; and if she will ask Ofwat to use the Equality Act terminology of sex when referring...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 107385 on Ofwat: Equality, whether Ofwat intends to amend its policy approach; and if she will ask Ofwat to use the Equality Act terminology of sex when referring...
As previously stated, Ofwat's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy makes reference to "gender" largely in relation to the outcomes of, and insight from, statutory Gender Pay Gap reporting.
Ofwat has confirmed that it will amend its EDI strategy to provide further clarity on where commitments and actions relate to the protected characteristic of sex and/or gender or gender reassignment.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Ofwat on ensuring that future price review processes consider strategic developments including new towns such as Tempsford.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Ofwat on ensuring that future price review processes consider strategic developments including new towns such as Tempsford.
Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working to bring together Government, regulators and water companies to ensure sufficient water and wastewater capacity is delivered to accommodate the government’s growth ambitions, including for new homes.
Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers and set out how they plan to continue to do so through statutory Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs). Water companies consult on revised WRMPs every five years, which inform Ofwat’s price review decisions.
The water companies must also maintain their WRMPs and are required to review the plans annually to take account of changes. This includes changes to demand forecasts as a result of housing growth that cannot be accommodated in existing WRMPs. This year, we strengthened and clarified this change process with water companies, issuing guidance to companies on how we will engage and assess any change needed to accommodate growth.
The WRMP process works closely alongside Ofwat’s price review cost change process, which allows companies to access additional funding for investment to support the growth, including investment such as sewage treatment works: PR24-Cost-change-process-–-Demand-growth-investment-additional-guidance.pdf.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has held discussions with Ofwat on the form of public consultation on a deal for the control of Thames Water.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has held discussions with Ofwat on the form of public consultation on a deal for the control of Thames Water.
We are working closely with Ofwat, who is evaluating the consortium’s proposals for Thames Water, to ensure that the best interests of customers and the environment are protected.
Thames Water is lurching from crisis to crisis. Last year, it was let off record fines for pumping sewage into rivers by Ofwat. Ofwat is allowed to do that, under rules laid out in the Water Industry Act 1991. Will the Prime Minister consider scrapping those rules, to stop Ofwat letting water companies off the hook?
Thames Water is lurching from crisis to crisis. Last year, it was let off record fines for pumping sewage into rivers by Ofwat. Ofwat is allowed to do that, under rules laid out in the Water Industry Act 1991. Will the Prime Minister consider scrapping those rules, to stop Ofwat letting water companies off the hook?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this deeply concerning matter. We are looking at what more we can do, because this has been of too much concern for too long, and we need to act.
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this deeply concerning matter. We are looking at what more we can do, because this has been of too much concern for too long, and we need to act.
I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising this deeply concerning matter. We are looking at what more we can do, because this has been of too much concern for too long, and we need to act.
Thames Water is lurching from crisis to crisis. Last year, it was let off record fines for pumping sewage into rivers by Ofwat. Ofwat is allowed to do that, under rules laid out in the Water Industry Act 1991. Will the Prime Minister consider scrapping those rules, to stop Ofwat letting water companies off the hook?
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help improve coordination between Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate in regulating water and sewerage undertakers.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help improve coordination between Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate in regulating water and sewerage undertakers.
Defra is working closely with the existing regulators, including Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate, to strengthen coordination across the regulatory system. This includes supporting the regulators in their work to actively join up and improve coordination, championing a ‘one organisation’ approach on key areas of delivery ahead of establishment of the new single regulator. This will simplify the requirements of water companies, reduce duplication and deliver better regulation for improved outcomes across the entire water system.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s report entitled Investigation Report addressed to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to their compliance with the Water Industry Act 1991 and the Water...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s report entitled Investigation Report addressed to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to their compliance with the Water Industry Act 1991 and the Water...
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) concluded its investigation in December 2025 and is taking no further action due to the significant progress that has been made by Defra, Ofwat and the Environment Agency (EA). This progress includes:
- Defra replacing outdated guidance with a new policy and guidance document that better reflects the legal duties of sewerage undertakers
- Ofwat revisiting its enforcement guidance and taking enforcement action against several water companies
- The EA updating its Storm Overflow Assessment Framework, whilst progressing with plans to modernise permits and introduce spill limits
- Progress on cross-cutting issues, such as the clarification of roles and responsibilities between the authorities.
The OEP stated that, throughout the investigation, all public authorities engaged constructively, with a focus on the outcome of protecting the environment.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the water regulator replacing Ofwat will have prosecution powers.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the water regulator replacing Ofwat will have prosecution powers.
The Government has set out its ambition to create a powerful new water regulator, bringing together the relevant functions from the existing regulators (Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and Natural England) into one new body. This will replace the current fragmented system with one regulator capable of integrated management of the water system.
Defra is developing the design and operating model of the new regulator and will ensure the regulator has robust enforcement powers. These reforms will be set out in a future water reform bill.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with OFWAT regarding the accessibility of its public contact channels; and what steps are being taken to ensure that members of the public receive timely responses to enquiries.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with OFWAT regarding the accessibility of its public contact channels; and what steps are being taken to ensure that members of the public receive timely responses to enquiries.
Customers can contact Ofwat by phone, post, email and via the website. Ofwat’s Customer Enquiries and Disputes (CED) team has worked hard over the past year to improve the timeliness of responses to customers which was impacted by increased contacts to Ofwat last year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 96793 on water charges: social tariffs, what guidance Ofwat has given water companies on (a) whether tariffs from charging trials can be introduced without opt-in consent of the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 96793 on water charges: social tariffs, what guidance Ofwat has given water companies on (a) whether tariffs from charging trials can be introduced without opt-in consent of the...
Ofwat expects trials to follow its good practice principles, including strong customer engagement and safeguards.
Companies must also consult with the Consumer Council for Water in developing their trials to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place so that vulnerable consumers are protected or excluded from the trials.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in preventing water companies from prioritising shareholder returns over environmental protection.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in preventing water companies from prioritising shareholder returns over environmental protection.
A stable and effective regulatory framework is crucial in attracting sustained investment to the sector. The Government supports Ofwat imposing tougher rules on water company dividends and bonuses, so that consumer bills never reward pollution. Ofwat want to see improved transparency of environmental outcomes, enabling customers and stakeholders to understand progress and challenge companies on performance.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Ofwat’s correspondence to the Business and Trade Committee of 8 September 2025, what assessment her Department has made of Ofwat's conclusion that the Class A creditor consortium (the London & Valley Water consortium) does not...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Ofwat’s correspondence to the Business and Trade Committee of 8 September 2025, what assessment her Department has made of Ofwat's conclusion that the Class A creditor consortium (the London & Valley Water consortium) does not...
The classification of Ultimate Controller is a matter for Ofwat as the independent economic regulator. We are reassured that Ofwat have reviewed the matter and will continue to keep the position of Thames Water’s Ultimate Controllers under review.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in preventing excessive debt accumulation in the water sector.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in preventing excessive debt accumulation in the water sector.
The Independent Water Commission (IWC) assessed the issue of water companies accumulating excessive debt. It concluded that Ofwat has not been effective in preventing excessive debt accumulation in the water sector.
In response, the government committed in the Water White Paper to introduce reforms to ensure companies do not accumulate unmanageable debt. The government is abolishing Ofwat, and replacing it with a new, single water regulator. This is a key step towards implementing a more effective approach to strengthening financial resilience across the water sector.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on how Ofwat calculates the cap on which water companies can increase water bills for customers.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on how Ofwat calculates the cap on which water companies can increase water bills for customers.
Ofwat published methodology for calculating the price controls that cap water bill increases. Ofwat sets these caps independently through its five‑year price review, assessing companies’ plans and the efficient costs needed to meet Government‑set service and environmental expectations. Money approved for infrastructure can only be spent on upgrades that benefit customers and the environment, and cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends or executive pay, with requirements for companies to return money to customers if they fail to meet performance commitments. The Government has also secured £104 billion of private investment through Price Review 2024, the largest investment programme in the history of the water sector.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) Ofwat and (b) Thames Water on the potential merits of issuing penalties to Thames Water for alleged breaches of its license agreement in the context of its investment grade credit...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) Ofwat and (b) Thames Water on the potential merits of issuing penalties to Thames Water for alleged breaches of its license agreement in the context of its investment grade credit...
The enforcement of licence conditions is a matter for Ofwat as the independent economic regulator. To remedy its licence breach in losing its investment grade credit ratings in 2024, Ofwat has confirmed it accepted an enforcement undertaking from Thames Water in August 2024 (Ofwat confirms actions for Thames Water following investment credit rating downgrade - Ofwat). These commitments will remain in place until the company regains two investment grade credit ratings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Ofwat’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2025-28, how much Ofwat has spent on external equality, diversity and inclusion training since July 2024; via which suppliers; and what the estimated cost of mandatory EDI training is...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Ofwat’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2025-28, how much Ofwat has spent on external equality, diversity and inclusion training since July 2024; via which suppliers; and what the estimated cost of mandatory EDI training is...
The total expenditure on EDI training since July 2024 to date is £7,495 (not including VAT).
These details can be broken down as requested:
Name of supplier | Session topic | Cost |
Andrew Pain Ltd | Men's mental health | £800 |
Champions UK | Black History Month | £1,200 |
Powered by Diversity | A monthly session on a range of EDI topics (i.e. International Women's Day, Time to Talk Day) | £2,000 |
Wellity Global | Supporting neurodivergent individuals through times of change and stress | £3,495 |