This letter is Minister Rutley‘s (Interim Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) response to the Chief Executive Officer of Ofwat. Ofwat sent a letter to Minister Rutley setting out initial reactions to the National Infrastructure Commission’s ‘preparing for a drier future’ report on water. This included thoughts on how the sector needs to respond. Minister Rutley’s letter outlines the shared conclusion that we need to increase long-term security of water supply. The government will respond to the NIC report in due course.

Preparing for a drier future National Infrastructure Commission Report A reliable water supply is usually taken for granted, but England risks water shortages as a result of climate change, an increasing population (especially in the drier south and east) and the need to protect the environment. The water supply system is already strained and the pressure will only rise over the coming decades. This document sets out the Commission’s advice on how to address England’s water supply challenges and deliver the appropriate level of resilience for the long term.