Written Ministerial Statement by Hilary Benn on publication of the water strategy for England, Future Water - 7 February 2008
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn)
I am today publishing the Government’s new water strategy Future Water, together with consultation documents on Social and Environmental Guidance to Ofwat, on Surface Water Drainage and on Controls on Phosphates in Domestic Laundry Cleaning Products. The consultations will close on 30th April 2008.
Securing and maintaining water supplies is vital to the prosperity of the country and to the health of people and the environment. In some areas, current supplies are already unsustainable and this situation was exacerbated by the drought in South East England between 2004 and 2006. These pressures are going to get worse as the climate changes, the economy grows, and population increases. Combined with the need to reduce CO2 emissions from the water industry and from our use of hot water in our homes, this means that we must find ways of improving efficiency, and of reducing demand and wastage.
There is no single answer. What is needed is a combination – or in some areas all – of one or more of the following measures:
- buildings and appliances that use less water;
- further reductions in leakage;
- better information for consumers;
- improved incentives through metering and block tariffs; and
- new supply, including possible new reservoirs.
The strategy summarises the action we are taking on all of these.
We will be commissioning an independent review to advise on the future of water charging and metering including whether there is a need to move beyond the current system in which companies in seriously water stressed areas can introduce mandatory metering where there is a clear case for doing so. The review will need to look at social, economic and environmental concerns. Any proposed change would need to include measures, such as tariffs, that help vulnerable customers.
As well as drinking water, we are concerned about the quality of our lakes, rivers and streams. These are affected by discharges from sewage treatment works, and by direct pollution, such as from agriculture. High quality water is important for habitats and ecosystems and is greatly valued for recreation and leisure.
Over the last two decades we have made great improvements to water quality in the environment. This has been achieved mainly through the tightening of controls on pollution from the end of pipes such as the discharge from sewage treatment works. We must now take action on a wider range of pollution including: tackling phosphate pollution of rivers and lakes by phasing out phosphates as an ingredient in laundry cleaning products by 2015; continuing to clean up the water that is discharged from sewage treatment works; and using River Basin Management Plans under the Water Framework Directive to tackle direct pollution of water from agriculture and water run off in urban areas. I am today publishing a consultation on controls on phosphates in domestic laundry cleaning products which will consider both voluntary and regulatory control options.
The drought was followed in 2007 by major flooding. While this may seem a different problem, science tells us that both droughts and floods will become more frequent with climate change. I announced on Monday the allocation of funding for flood management, and the outcomes we expect to see from this funding. The floods of 2007 have made us all aware of the need to tackle surface water drainage. A consultation on surface water drainage is being launched today on the recommendations from Sir Michael Pitt’s ‘lessons learned’ report. The proposals include introducing surface water management plans to co-ordinate activity, and clarifying responsibilities for sustainable drainage systems, as well as reviewing the ability of new development to connect surface water automatically to the public sewer.
Alongside the strategy, I am today publishing draft statutory Social and Environmental Guidance to the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) for consultation. In reflecting the policies set out in Future Water, it is one of the ways in which the Strategy can begin to be implemented. Following the consultation it will be subject to Parliament scrutiny as set out in the Water Industry Act 1991 as amended by the Water Act 2003.
Copies of Future Water – The Government’s water strategy for England and the consultation documents on Social and Environmental Guidance to Ofwat; and Surface Water Drainage have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The documents are also available on the website of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Page published: 7 February 2008