26 Jan 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
Food and Rural Affairs, how many of the 88 recommendations proposed in the independent report entitled Independent Water Commission: review of the water sector, published in July 2025, are included in her Department's policy paper entitled A new vision for water: white paper, published on 20 January 2026.
Defra thoroughly reviewed the Independent Water Commission’s final report in its entirety, and the White Paper sets out our overall response to the Commission’s recommendations. This Government’s priority is to deliver the best possible out…read full →
26 Jan 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
Food and Rural Affairs, on which dates the Water Delivery Taskforce has met.
Defra has established a Water Delivery Taskforce to ensure that water companies deliver on their planned investments to provide water and wastewater capacity. It ensures that water availability and wastewater capacity are not a constraint o…read full →
26 Jan 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 on the number of wildfires, including their incidence, scale, and severity.
Burning is damaging to peatlands and can increase their long-term vulnerability to wildfires, while wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the impacts of wildfire. In developing the Amendments to The Heather and Grass e…read full →
26 Jan 2026·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs·Answered
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled A New Vision for Water, published on 20 January 2026, if she plans to publish the Transition Plan on a sitting day of the House this year.
The Transition Plan will be published in 2026. It will set clear direction on priorities, sequencing, and engagement, giving the sector confidence as reforms begin and ahead of the introduction of an upcoming water bill.
