Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to work with water companies to explore (a) the management of microplastics in sewage sludge and (b) options for protecting chalk streams; and if she will make a statement.
Jim McMahon: The Tories are sinking the water industry. Since Tory privatisation, water companies have racked up debts of over £60 billion. Every day, we see 800 sewage dumps and lose over 3 billion litres of water in leaks, and what is the biggest leak of all? The £72 billion paid out to shareholders. Now Thames Water is on the edge as the money dries up. Can the Secretary of State tell the House if...
Lord Taylor of Warwick: ...Majesty's Government, given their increasing debts, what steps they are taking to ensure UK water companies fulfil their legal duty (1) to provide clean water to customers, and (2) to treat their sewage.
David Davies: ...and Scotland average bills are higher, and so are spills into the rivers—[Interruption.] Mr Speaker, SNP Members can say what they want. They are presiding over a situation where there are more sewage spills going into the water in Scotland than there are in England.
Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville: ...Water is not the only company causing concern: Southern Water, Yorkshire Water and South West Water were mentioned in the other place. Last year, £1.4 billion was paid out in dividends. Meanwhile, sewage poured into waterways, flooding affected many areas, and others had their water delivered in bottles. Ofwat cannot solve these problems. Surely it is time for the Government to take back...
Ian Liddell-Grainger: ...counties. The same goes for the management of what turns out to be the worst water company in the United Kingdom. Never mind Thames Water, we have South West Water. It overpays its top team, dumps sewage in rivers, fails to invest in new reservoirs, yet wants to be treated like a paragon of virtue. It sells services in Bristol and Bournemouth as well as in Devon and Cornwall. They are up...
Lord Whitty: ...system with six companies to one of nearly 70 companies, and then back again, as many of those companies went bankrupt. We have seen the failure of Ofwat in the water industry. There is not only sewage in our rivers but now, apparently, a complete overgearing of several companies within that sector. The economic regulators, the Treasury and the Bank of England need to get their act...
...model of company structure for Thames Water, to be called a public benefit corporation; to require that public benefit corporation to consider public policy benefits, including reducing leaks and sewage dumping, as well as returns for shareholders; to limit the payment of dividends until a plan is in place to cut the corporation’s debt; and to require membership of the corporation’s...
Jim McMahon: ...in Britain is potentially going to go to the wall, and the Secretary of State is missing in action. It was clear to anyone looking on that a culture that allowed vital investment in ending the sewage scandal and tackling water leaks to be sacrificed in favour of a goldrush for shareholders was never sustainable. Just last year, as raw human sewage was being pumped out across the country,...
Samantha Dixon: This is my first opportunity to put a question to the Prime Minister for the residents of the City of Chester, so why does the Prime Minister think it is acceptable for sewage to be pumped into the beautiful River Dee, which flows through Chester, for the next 27 years?
Rhys ab Owen: Trefnydd, can we have a statement on planning policy, please? Six thousand homes will be built in the north of Cardiff without proper consideration as to how to deal with sewage generated from the homes. Permission has now been granted for a sewage pumping station to be built on Hailey Park, a park gifted to the people of Cardiff, with the loss of parkland and also concerns regarding...
Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sewage releases there have been in (a) York and (b) York Central constituency in each of the last 12 months.
Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of levels of drugs contained in sewage discharges entering (a) rivers and (b) coastal waters; and if she will make a statement.
Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state-funded schools have been (a) temporarily or (b) permanently closed due to sewage leaks since December 2019; and which schools were affected.
Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to help ensure that improvements to sewage treatment are paid for from profits made by the water companies over the last decade.
Luke Fletcher: ...that households flush and tip down their toilets and sinks flows untreated for thousands of hours a year in the river. The combined sewer overflows at Pontyrhyl and Llangeinor poured out raw sewage for a total of 7,804 hours and 7,784 hours each respectively in 2022. A briefing from the Minister would also be greatly appreciated.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has contingency plans in place to ensure the continued operation of (a) water supply and (b) sewage treatment and processing in the event of a water company no longer being able to fulfill its financial obligations.
Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with United Utilities on preventing sewage discharge at Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment works.
Rebecca Pow: ...bathing waters, including Fleetwood, 20 times between May and September. Samples are tested for elevated levels of bacteria (E. Coli) which would indicate a presence of organic pollution such as sewage. Fleetwood wastewater treatment works (WwTW) serves towns on the Fylde Coast, Lancashire, including Fleetwood. On 11 June 2023 there was a failure of a discharge pipe at Fleetwood WwTW...
Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many sewage leaks were recorded within the estate managed by Government Property Agency in the last twelve months.
