Committee discusses water and environmental regulation with Secretary of State
The Industry and Regulators Committee will follow up on its previous inquiries into water regulation by hearing from Emma Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The Committee will discuss the Government’s vision for the future of the water sector, following Sir Jon Cunliffe’s Independent Water Commission. In particular, the Committee will discuss whether the Government will give a clear steer to the planned new water regulation on how it should balance the affordability of water bills and the need for investment in the water system, both to ensure sufficient future water supplies and reduce water pollution.
The Committee will also discuss environmental regulation more broadly, following Dan Corry’s independent review of the Department’s regulators. The Committee will consider how regulators will need to change to enable a more outcomes-based approach that gives more discretion for companies in how to meet their obligations. The Committee will also question whether the Government plans to close or merge environmental regulators more broadly than in the water sector, and whether organisational changes risk distraction from improving operational performance.
Meeting details
Possible questions include:
- When does the Government expect to publish its White Paper on water regulation, following the report of the Independent Water Commission? What do you expect to be the main themes of the White Paper?
- Does the Government accept that water bills may have to continue to rise in order to catch up with the backlog of investment the water system needs to make? If not, are you willing to accept less secure water supplies or lower environmental standards as a consequence?
- Will the Government decide on the level of support that those struggling with their water bills should receive through a national social tariff, rather than leaving these decisions to individual water companies?
- Is the Government confident that the water sector will continue to attract the private investment that it needs, given the political debate and broader uncertainty about the sector?
- What action is the Government taking to ensure sufficient future water supplies, given projections that the country needs several billion litres a day of additional supply in the next few decades?