Speeches by Pakes.

“My calculation is that it is broadly about 24% of customers’ bills currently.”

“Can I ask you about another calculation? It seems that in 2023, Anglian paid shareholders £1,618 in dividends for every hour of sewage dumped into the environment. Do you think that was reasonable?”

“From my estimation, about a quarter of customers’ bills are currently used to service your debt levels. Do you think that is the right place for customers when we look at our bills?”

“We have seen this in a number of companies: when we talk about the basket of measures which lead to either executive pay or dividends, and then we talk about pollution, the two things seem completely disjointed. It is about understanding the corporate. Is the actual measure of pollution a direct factor in your dividend…”

“In terms of customer satisfaction in the region, we are holding you to a high level because of your background in infrastructure. We have some critical infrastructure coming—the South Lincolnshire and the Fens reservoirs—which should be here already. One of the problems is that we have not invested in our infrastructur…”

“Nice to have you here, Mark. We have met previously, and there is a real sense of purpose that comes through from the frontline staff I have met at Anglian, either locally or more closely in the region. I have a couple of questions about bigger structure stuff because sometimes there is a dissonance between the frontli…”

“If we invite you back next year, do you think you would be able to say it is a simpler structure that we would understand, or is it a longer-term ambition to simplify?”

“Ofwat has said that in 2023-2024 you were the third worst performer. In its latest report, the EA says that you are one of four companies responsible for 90% of the serious pollution. My figures here say that over the last 15 years Anglian has been found guilty of 74 different breaches in environment law and has paid f…”

“I understand the difference between remco and independent boards, but in terms of your belief and your level of comfort, what would be an acceptable level of pollution for you to still receive a bonus payment?”

“Do you have board-level discussions around the level of public anger about the way that pollution seems to be not dealt with, and this dissonance between corporate behaviour and the continued pollution and spills into rivers in my patch in Peterborough and more widely in the areas of several Members?”

“As a CEO, do you understand the frustration many customers—businesses, farmers and domestic customers—feel between responsiveness of what they see as the logo of Anglian Water and then these big, opaque structures, and how the two do not seem to join together?”

“I recognise that there has been some change in corporate behaviour and that you are new. We often ask about executive pay and bonuses, and the particular case of your predecessor receiving, I think, a £300,000 bonus. Then, the following year there was a decision where a bonus was not paid out. Is that a policy that ext…”

“I have a couple of questions. One is on something I am really passionate about: protecting our water resources. You know the region that we live in. Roughly, East Anglia is responsible for about 10% of the world’s supply of chalk streams, all of which are environmentally damaged. The operations of your company are a ke…”

“As a CEO, do you understand the frustration many customers—businesses, farmers and domestic customers—feel between responsiveness of what they see as the logo of Anglian Water and then these big, opaque structures, and how the two do not seem to join together?”

“We have seen this in a number of companies: when we talk about the basket of measures which lead to either executive pay or dividends, and then we talk about pollution, the two things seem completely disjointed. It is about understanding the corporate. Is the actual measure of pollution a direct factor in your dividend…”

“Ofwat has said that in 2023-2024 you were the third worst performer. In its latest report, the EA says that you are one of four companies responsible for 90% of the serious pollution. My figures here say that over the last 15 years Anglian has been found guilty of 74 different breaches in environment law and has paid f…”

“In some earlier answers, you talked to Jenny and others about the importance of collaboration, working together, and consultation. Can I ask you about a particular example which my exceptional colleague, the hon. Member for Lowestoft, has been raising with me, knowing my interest in the issue? She says Kessingland in h…”

“I recognise that there has been some change in corporate behaviour and that you are new. We often ask about executive pay and bonuses, and the particular case of your predecessor receiving, I think, a £300,000 bonus. Then, the following year there was a decision where a bonus was not paid out. Is that a policy that ext…”

“Nice to have you here, Mark. We have met previously, and there is a real sense of purpose that comes through from the frontline staff I have met at Anglian, either locally or more closely in the region. I have a couple of questions about bigger structure stuff because sometimes there is a dissonance between the frontli…”

“If we invite you back next year, do you think you would be able to say it is a simpler structure that we would understand, or is it a longer-term ambition to simplify?”