Dan Rogerson: ...Grant. Since 2007-08, funding received by Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from Defra and its Arms Length Bodies has additionally included: · waste PFI credits · grants for water and sewerage infrastructure works on the Isles of Scilly · flood and coastal defence capital grant in aid for flood and funding for resilience projects · rural development programme funding ·...
Dan Rogerson: We have made strong progress in cleaning up our rivers, which are now in far better health than they were 20 years ago. Pollution from sewerage works, for example, has gone down significantly, and phosphate pollution will fall by a further fifth and ammonia pollution by a further sixth by next year. Overall, this Government have improved over 15,000 km of rivers—and I am sure you will be...
Dan Rogerson: We have not received any recent representation from park home owners on this topic. The majority of premises either receive their water and sewerage services from a water company or a reseller. A customer of a water company can request (under the Water Industry Act 1991) a water meter and if it is not feasible to fit one (due to it being impractical or unduly costly) they will be moved...
Dan Rogerson: ...Litter and Refuse recommends that canals and waterside areas should be subject to regular and systematic management and monitoring of litter and refuse. Investment by the water companies to improve sewerage infrastructure has resulted in a significant reduction in sewage-related litter entering rivers and the sea through screening of discharges and improvements to sewage treatment. We...
Dan Rogerson: The Water Act 2014 enables the introduction of retail competition for water and sewerage services for non-household customers in England. Open Water Market Ltd (OWML) has been formed to help enable delivery of this new market. It is anticipated that OWML will be designated a “public” entity. New licence conditions have been agreed with the water companies to ensure OWML can raise...
Dan Rogerson: Ofwat is assessing water infrastructure investment plans for 2015-20 under the 2014 water price review. All water and sewerage companies have a duty derived from recent legislation to place greater emphasis on flood risk planning. The Water Industry Act 1991 has also been amended to make clear that sewerage undertakers can construct and use sustainable drainage systems to fulfil their...
Dan Rogerson: ...flooding events. Flood water contaminated with sewage is incredibly unpleasant. Systems should be in place to cope with the normal flow of sewage, and they are. We have a resilient system, but the sewerage system is not designed to cope with extreme events and large amounts of water. It would be possible, in theory, to design sewers that were able to cope with much higher volumes of water,...
Dan Rogerson: ...and produce exit regulations. So what do the Lords amendments actually do? They give the Secretary of State powers to establish, through regulations, a framework that permits incumbent water or sewerage companies—with the consent of the Secretary of State—to stop supplying any retail services to current or future non-household customers in their areas of appointment. The services will...
Dan Rogerson: The Government have not held discussions with Thames Water on the details of the Mayor’s revised draft housing strategy or any change in the capacity of London’s sewerage system required as a consequence of it. It is for Thames Water to take population changes into account as part of its business planning for the five-yearly price review process with Ofwat. However, DEFRA is working...
Dan Rogerson: ...Ofwat every five years. Water prices for the 2010 to 2015 period were set in Ofwat's 2009 water price review. The percentage change in the average cost (in real prices) of a combined water and sewerage bill in England and Wales during the 2010-15 period is as follows: -0.6% (2010-11), 0.2% (2011-12), -0.1% (2012-13). The forecast for 2013-14 is 0.5% and for 2014-15 around 2%. The changes...
Dan Rogerson: When implemented, section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 will mean new sewers from new properties in England will be owned and maintained by the appropriate water and sewerage company. The legislation also requires standards for the construction of new sewers to be published by the Minister. Water UK and representatives of property developers are currently working through the...
Dan Rogerson: ...Water White Paper signals our intent to continue to encourage the uptake and retrofitting of SuDS in existing properties. Also, a new clause in the Water Bill aims to increase the options open to sewerage undertakers in how they may exercise their duty to effectually drain an area. The clause makes clear that they can construct and use SuDS to exercise this duty.
Dan Rogerson: ...make sure that water bills continue to be affordable for everyone, and that has been a recurring theme of the debate on this Bill. We want those who are struggling to pay to get help. All water and sewerage companies have developed packages to help customers with affordability problems, and they include customer assistance funds, support tariffs, debt advice and water efficiency measures....
Dan Rogerson: ...it can construct drains or erect barriers on the highway or adjoining land to divert surface water into an existing drain. The majority of new road drainage systems are not connected to the public sewerage system. Typically, they discharge under designated conditions, either to a watercourse or a storage pond with controlled exits to a watercourse, or alternatively soak into the ground in...
Dan Rogerson: ...we want to build on and not jeopardise. The stable regulatory framework for the water sector has enabled companies to attract more than £111 billion of low-cost investment to upgrade water and sewerage infrastructure and to improve customer service and environmental standards. I agree that we should be putting pressure on the water sector to act as transparently and responsibly as...
Dan Rogerson: ...services. The idea of incumbents sitting around while customers disappear is therefore, in our view, an unlikely scenario. In addition, water-only companies will be able to apply to Ofwat for a sewerage licence, which will allow them to compete with licensees and other incumbent sewerage companies by offering both water and sewerage services to their customers. My point is that this is...
Dan Rogerson: ...and community representatives who have supported their neighbourhoods and neighbours. This discussion has covered a number of new clauses and amendments in relation to the regulation of water and sewerage undertakers and licensees, particularly those provisions designed to extend competition in the sector. The new clause tabled by the hon. Member for Arfon (Hywel Williams) would alter the...
Dan Rogerson: ...so-called “supplier of last resort” provisions in the existing water supply licensing regime. This is also known as the “interim supply duty”. New clause 43 introduces the equivalent for sewerage licensing and what a customer must initially do to switch from an incumbent sewerage company to a sewerage licensee. Currently, if a licensee were to withdraw from the market, its...
Dan Rogerson: ...power on the Welsh Ministers to appoint a person or body to determine disputes on their behalf. The new clause also imposes a duty on the Natural Resources Body for Wales to advise, when requested, sewerage undertakers, owners, occupiers and those determining disputes under section 101A(7) in relation to premises in Wales. Welsh Government Ministers want to preserve the role of the...
Dan Rogerson: ...sensitive information, Ofwat must publish notice of reductions of charges between an incumbent water company and another party payable where someone agrees to reduce pressure on water and/or sewerage networks. The clause concerns agreements on bulk supplies, water supply licensing, main connections and sewerage licensing. We want to increase transparency around charging. That will provide...