Committee publication · Correspondence · 11 March 2025

Correspondence to the Chief Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate relating to reforming the water sector inquiry, dated 11 March 2025

From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Inquiry: Reforming the water sector

Summary

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee requests the Chief Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate provide comprehensive data on all DWI investigations into water companies since 2015, including their current status, resource allocation, and outcomes. The committee is conducting a water sector reform inquiry and needs detailed, up-to-date information to support its scrutiny work.

Key findings

  • Committee has struggled to access up-to-date and detailed information on ongoing DWI investigations into water companies
  • Difficulty tracking the status and outcomes of historic investigations by the Drinking Water Inspectorate
  • DWI performance data has been valuable for committee scrutiny but gaps remain in investigation-level transparency
  • Committee requests list of all investigations opened since 2015, status and target dates for open cases, resource allocation per investigation, and outcomes of concluded investigations

Tone

Procedural

Topics

water-regulationdrinking-water-qualityregulatory-oversightcorporate-accountability

Key actors

Alistair Carmichael, Marcus Rink, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Drinking Water Inspectorate, Water companies in England and Wales

Notable line

It has presented a challenge, however, to access up to date and detailed information on ongoing investigations, and to track the status and outcomes of historic investigations.

Key Quotes

It has presented a challenge, however, to access up to date and detailed information on ongoing investigations, and to track the status and outcomes of historic investigations.
Alistair Carmichael · expressing difficulties the committee faces in obtaining DWI investigation data
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Source · parliament.uk record ↗