Written questions by Corbyn.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure water companies are accountable to their users.

The Government’s Water (Special Measures) Act provide the most significant increase in enforcement powers for the regulators in a decade, giving them the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies in the next investment period. The Act also enables the public to hold companies to account through introducing new, statutory reporting requirements for emergency overflows and pollution incidents. As announced in July 2024, consumers will gain powers to hold water company bosses to account through powerful new customer panels. The Water (Special Measures) Act now provides Ofwat with the power to make rules on company governance, including rules which achieve having arrangements in place for involving consumers in decisions that are likely to have an impact on consumer matters. Ofwat will conduct a consultation this summer that will determine the new rule and allow for the establishment of the panels. The Independent Commission published its results today. This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-water-commission-review-of-the-water-sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support households with increases to water bills.

The Government expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end. We are clear as Government that we expect water companies to ensure their customers know what support schemes are available and how to access them if they need help. We expect water companies to put robust support in place for vulnerable customers and keep current support schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers are supported and access the support they are entitled to.