Inquiry · Opened 24 April 2026
Regulation of water, energy and broadband
From: Public Accounts Committee
What this inquiry is asking
The Public Accounts Committee is investigating how effectively UK regulators (Ofwat, Ofgem, and Ofcom) oversee the water, energy, and broadband sectors. The inquiry examines whether these regulators are adequately protecting consumers, ensuring infrastructure investment, and enforcing standards across industries where profit-driven companies serve essential public needs.
Status / emerging findings
- Inquiry opened 24 April 2026; no evidence sessions or publications yet published
- Focus areas likely to include regulatory independence, consumer protection mechanisms, and investment compliance across three critical utilities
- Scope spans water quality enforcement, energy price regulation, and broadband rollout delivery
Why it matters
How well these regulators perform directly affects household bills, service reliability, and whether companies invest adequately in ageing infrastructure that millions depend on daily.
Themes
Witness sessions
Oral evidence · 29 June 2026
Session 1 of 1
Written evidence & correspondence
Correspondence · 13 July 2026
Letter from the CEO of Ofcom relating to an investigation into Virgin Media, 8 July 2026
Correspondence · 10 July 2026
Themes & actors
Topics across publication summaries
Top organisations & named entities
- Dame Melanie Dawes·1 reference
- Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown·1 reference
- Virgin Media·1 reference
- Ofcom·1 reference
- BT·1 reference
- Virgin Media O2·1 reference
- Sky·1 reference
- Public Accounts Committee·1 reference
- Ali Bell·1 reference
- Sarah Olney MP·1 reference
Source · parliament.uk inquiry record ↗