Written questions by Smart.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to analyse the forthcoming annual sewage discharge data to identify differences in company performance before and after the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 came into force.

Pollution incidents from the activities of the water industry are unacceptable and can have a devastating impact on our environment. The water industry must do more to reduce pollution and protect our rivers, lakes and seas. As part of the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, a new duty has been created on water and sewerage undertakers in England and Wales, to produce annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans (PIRPs). These statutory plans require water and sewerage undertakers to report on the number and severity of pollution incidents attributable to their networks over the last calendar year and propose actions to reduce that number in the next year. The first statutory PIRP will be published by 1 April 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered streamlining adoption processes for (a) sewers and (b) drainage systems where (i) easements and (ii) multiple landownerships delay adoption by water companies.

Almost all private sewers, lateral drains, and pumping stations built before 2011 should have been adopted by water companies. In cases where adoption has not occurred, householders are advised to contact Ofwat. The Government is committed to using legislation to reform the water sector and will continue to do so where necessary. Following the Independent Water Commission’s final report, government will examine its recommendations and how best to address the problems caused by unadopted sewerage.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department made an assessment of the potential long-term impact of climate change on the canal network before reducing the level of funding for the Canal and River Trust.

A comprehensive review of the current grant provision to the Canal and River Trust was conducted between 2021 and 2023. The review examined a number of forward-looking scenarios using data provided by the Trust that included consideration of potential climate change impacts.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with industry to reduce prices for alcohol-free beer to improve public health.

Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food and drink supply matters. However, it is not for HM Government to set retail food and drink prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses. In the ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the Government has committed to tackling harmful alcohol consumption through promotion of no- and low-alcohol alternatives. This includes exploration of raising the alcohol-free descriptor to 0.5%, aligning with international standards to support growth of the sector. Alongside the plan, a large multi-year National Institute for Health and Care Research study is underway to examine the public health impacts of NoLo products, with findings of the study expected in the coming year.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of re-introducing the imposition of dog licences.

We have no plans at this time to reintroduce an annual registration scheme or dog licenses. The old dog licence was repealed by the Local Government Act 1988 because it cost more to administer than the revenue it generated and was in effect an ownership registration scheme. Now that microchipping and registration on a compliant database is mandatory, this is no longer necessary.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent excessive annual increases in household water bills in Hazel Grove constituency.

Ofwat assesses affordability for each water company through a five-yearly Price Review process, in which water companies must detail in their business plans how they will address affordability. Ofwat’s price controls for Price Review 2024 set out that the average customer bill will increase by 36%, before inflation, over the next five years. We understand the financial pressures hardworking families are currently facing and we are pushing the sector to ensure support is available. We expect water companies to put robust support in place for vulnerable customers and keep current affordability schemes under review to ensure vulnerable customers are supported. Bills must remain affordable, and customers cannot be expected to pay the price for years of underperformance in the past. Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure households across the country are supported.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to conduct Environment Agency (a) compliance inspections and (b) consent renewals on community-owned renewable energy initiatives.

The Environment Agency (EA) considers the impact of its decisions on regulated businesses and individuals in line with the Regulators-code.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the the use of mercury in dental amalgam on (a) the environment and (b) public health.

The UK has national country plans to phase down dental amalgam use, which align with domestic mercury regulations to reduce pollution and protect the environment. Regarding public Health, Dental amalgam is a well-established, safe, and effective dental filling material. Amalgam fillings do not cause harm to the health of dental patients.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to improve the (a) timeliness and (b) efficiency of the Environment Agency’s response to pre-application advice requests from (i) Stockport Hydro and (ii) other small-scale renewable energy producers.

The Stockport Hydro scheme was licensed by the Environment Agency (EA) in 2011/2012 and there are no current pre-application enquiries or licence applications from them. The Environment Agency has dealt with over 100 pre-application enquiries over the last 8 years concerning hydropower schemes of various sizes. Applicants are urged to make use of the enhanced pre-application service which supports applicants to apply for the right type of licences with the correct supporting information and reduces the likelihood of delays to decisions. There is clear written guidance on gov.uk for applicants.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he will take steps to reduce limits for acceptable levels of (a) forever chemicals and (b) per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has provided guidance on PFAS to water companies since 2007. In 2021 a guideline value of 0.1 micrograms per litre (µg/L) was adopted for drinking water which, since August 2024 when DWI’s guidance was updated. Companies are required to monitor for 48 individual PFAS in their supplies. These were agreed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to be robust levels with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is safe to drink. Concentrations of ‘sum of 48 PFAS’ greater than 0.1 micrograms must be reported to the DWI as a water quality event and all necessary actions to reduce concentrations below this value must be taken. There is no evidence of PFAS concentrations above this value in drinking water supplies.The DWI continue to monitor publications and advice provided by the World Health Organization and the UK’s Committee on Toxicity in relation to PFAS. It will continue to act accordingly based on the scientific evidence as it emerges, to safeguard public health from the risks from PFAS in drinking water. Work continues across government to assess levels of PFAS to safeguard current high drinking water quality and to ensure our regulations remain fit for purpose.

Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) scientific experts, (b) NGOs, (c) industry representatives and (d) other stakeholders he has consulted as part of the development of the negotiating mandate for the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

The next Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention will be taking place on the 3 - 7 November 2025. Working documents and proposals for negotiation at this meeting have not yet been published but will be in due course. Officials in Defra will review documents when they are published and analyse the potential merits of proposals on an individual basis. Officials will also conduct any necessary external outreach on proposals ahead of the Conference.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the proposed amendments on dental amalgam use to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

The next Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention will be taking place on the 3 - 7 November 2025. Working documents and proposals for negotiation at this meeting have not yet been published but will be in due course. Officials in Defra will review documents when they are published and analyse the potential merits of proposals on an individual basis. Officials will also conduct any necessary external outreach on proposals ahead of the Conference.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the voluntary agreement by major retailers to restrict the sale of disposable barbecues within one mile of National Parks in reducing the risk of wildfires.

Defra does not hold this data and has not made an assessment. As the lead department for wildfires, MHCLG encourages the public to follow local advice from their local Fire and Rescue Service, Local Authority and landowners. Officials continue to work alongside partners including the National Fire Chiefs Council to issue proactive communications including, for example, advice around the safe use of barbecues, cigarettes and open fires.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to review the (a) proportionality and (b) cost-effectiveness of the Environment Agency’s (i) licensing and (ii) inspection processes for small-scale community energy providers.

The Government makes full use of the comprehensive and wide ranging environmental regulatory framework in England. Defra and the Environment Agency have contributed to HMT’s Regulatory Action Plan and other recent reviews into regulatory effectiveness, including the review led by Dan Corry. We remain committed to upholding high environmental standards to protect our natural environment and local communities when supporting new infrastructure and development.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to simplify regulatory requirements for community hydroelectric schemes; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on his (a) net zero and (b) other green energy targets.

The Government makes full use of the comprehensive and wide ranging environmental regulatory framework in England. Defra and the Environment Agency have contributed to HMT’s Regulatory Action Plan and other recent reviews into regulatory effectiveness, including the review led by Dan Corry. We remain committed to upholding high environmental standards to protect our natural environment and local communities when supporting new infrastructure and development, including community hydroelectric schemes.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to the correspondence from Jilly Julian of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council of 4 February 2025 on the administration of the Flood Recovery Framework.

The department has no record of having received this correspondence.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to (a) exempt and (b) reduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees to packaging waste managed through private waste contracts in the hospitality sector.

Since Autumn 2024, the Government has been working with stakeholders, including representatives of the hospitality sector, to consider potential amendments to the definition of household packaging. We are continuing to engage with sectors on a way forward and we are planning next steps as a priority.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee structure accurately reflects the environmental performance of (a) the brewing sector, (b) the hospitality sector and (c) other sectors which operate closed-loop recycling systems.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). This is a major reform that will be iterated over several years to incentivise packaging producers to reduce their material footprint and use more sustainable packaging. We are considering further improvements to the scheme, including how to treat businesses which run closed loop recycling systems for packaging that is commonly collected by Local Authorities, and my officials are reviewing options to bring forward an offset for closed loop recycling systems at the earliest opportunity.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) cost allocation model for glass packaging.

Defra has engaged with industry and experts to ensure accuracy of the model. This includes consultation with WRAP, the Environmental Services Agency, British Glass and MKD32 on the decision to use volume in the apportionment of kerbside recycling collection costs. Model refinement has continued since the publication of illustrative base fees in December, and Defra will continue working to improve accuracy where possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of land lost through adverse possession on local flood resilience.

The new National Flood Risk Assessment data published on 28 January 2025 uses the best currently available data to provide a single picture of current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water for England. The Environment Agency has not undertaken an assessment of the impact of land lost through adverse possession on flood resilience – this would need to be undertaken at a local level by the asset owners or interested parties. HM Land Registry has operational responsibility for considering land registration applications based on adverse possession and publishes guidance about this at GOV.UK here and here.