18 Jul 2018

Evidence given by Dr Thérèse Coffey MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment, and Dr Sebastian Catovsky, Deputy Director for Water Services, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Watch this evidence session Scope of the inquiry The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry will consider how well the water industry serves […]

04 Jul 2018

BBC: Water companies have damaged trust, regulator Ofwat says. High levels of payments to bosses and investors by water companies have damaged customer trust, the regulator Ofwat has said. It has published new rules that will force firms to explain how executive pay is linked to performance and to prioritise customers’ interests. Companies paying dividends […]

27 Jun 2018

Scope of the inquiry The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry will consider how well the water industry serves consumers and the environment, how innovation can be encouraged and whether current regulatory enforcement mechanisms are fit for purpose. Further, it will consider the potential benefits of regulatory divergence post-Brexit. Terms of reference: Regulation of […]

16 May 2018

Comment: A further step rippling from Labour’s threat to renationalise the water industry. MPs are sharpening their knives and even a cursory glimpse of the report on the collapse of Carillion will reveal a new appetite for highlighting boardroom greed. Carillion collapsed as a result of “recklessness, hubris and greed” among directors who put their […]

26 Apr 2017

EFRA call for stronger sustainable drainage policies to help cut flood risk  EFRA 26 April 2017   In its report, the Environment Food, and Rural Affairs Committee criticises the Government’s sub-standard sustainable drainage (SuDS) approaches: Read the report summary Read the conclusions and recommendations Read the full report: Post-legislative scrutiny: Flood and Water Management Act 2010 […]

08 Feb 2017

The Government respond to the EFRA Committee’s Flood Report – Simon Wightman Senior Policy Officer, RSPB In November 2016, I wrote a blog about the EFRA Committee’s Report on Future Flood Prevention. On balance, the report was a useful contribution to the national debate about how we best prepare for floods. We have now seen the Government’s response to […]

26 Jan 2017

Chair speaks to the BBC MPs today criticised the Government for missing opportunities to act on its report on improving flood protection for communities at risk across England. The Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s future flood prevention report published in November 2016 recommended action to tackle fragmented, inefficient and ineffective flood management. MPs were disappointed with […]

10 Nov 2016

Four reactions to EFRA Committee report    Bob Earll  The scale of the events: In the face of three major winter storm – flood events in 2012, 2013-14 and 2015-16 – billion pound storms – MPs clearly felt the need to speak out. These events are becoming almost normal and they are characterised not by just […]