Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
LabourMP for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice
“I wish to update the House on the action this Government is taking to strengthen water company resilience to heatwaves and sustained hot weather.…”
“Emma Hardy.…”
“This Government inherited record levels of river pollution. We have already passed the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, making pollution cover-ups a criminal offence; more than doubled the number of Environment Agency inspections to 10,00…”
“Please refer to the Oral Statement made earlier today.…”
“Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I welcome the opportunity to update the House on the reforms flood. We are announcing today with support of this government. These changes will ensure that flood re remains fair, sustainable and focused …”
“Investment programme performance in 2024/25 and 2025/26…”
“I welcome this opportunity to update the House on the progress the Government have made on this important issue. In these divisive times, there are few topics that unite all of us in this House—but water does. We all agree that the status q…”
“The Government are serious about holding water companies to account and maintaining high drinking water standards. Just this week, South West Water has rightly been fined £1.85 million—a record fine for a drinking water offence—for failures…”
“I thank the right honourable Gentleman for Barking this question. I will update the House on the water supply disruption in Kent, and I want to begin by expressing my sympathy for those affected by the disruption. Being without water is dis…”
“I am today updating the House on the Environment Agency’s review of the statutory Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England.…”
“I thank my honourable Friend for highlighting this issue. As he said at the beginning of his remarks, it is clear that it is one that many people were not talking about until recently. I thank him for recognising that it is this Government …”
“This statement fulfils the requirement under section 80A of Environment Act 1995, to update Parliament on the progress and steps taken to meet air quality standards and objectives in England over financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26.…”
“We are committed to supporting coastal communities, and that is why, between April 2024 and March 2026, over £600 million has been invested in protection from sea flooding, tidal flooding and coastal erosion.…”
“It is a pleasure to respond to the debate. I thank the honourable Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns) for initiating it, and for giving me an opportunity to outline the steps that the Government are taking to reduce flood risk a…”
“Storm Chandra brought heavy rain and flooding to the UK in January - I want to again acknowledge the vital work of Local Authorities which were badly impacted by the flooding, such as those in Somerset, Dorset and Teignbridge District. My t…”
“I am announcing proposed reforms to the affordability support scheme WaterSure - the first significant update to the scheme since 1999. This Government is committed to a fair, affordable, and accessible water system and we are acting to pro…”
“Summary…”
“I thank the honourable Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) for calling this debate, and for providing an opportunity for us to hear and discuss the steps that this Government have taken in advance of, and in response to, Storm …”
“I want to begin by sending my deepest sympathy to everybody impacted by recent flooding; having your home or business flooded is devastating. I pay tribute to the emergency services, the Environment Agency and the communities and volunteers…”
“I wish to update the House on the Government’s work to address the challenges posed by per‑ and poly‑fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often known as “forever chemicals”, and to announce the publication of the UK Government’s PFAS Plan.…”
“I would like to update the House on the ongoing water supply disruption across southern England, but before I do that, I pay tribute to my dad, David Mattinson, who passed away last Monday at Dove House hospice. I thank everybody at the hos…”
“Merry Christmas to you, Mr Speaker, and to all. Of course, in team DEFRA, we are dreaming of a dry Christmas, but just in case we do not get one, we are investing a record £10.5 billion into our flood and coastal defences, and the Environme…”
“I am pleased to confirm that the Marine Recovery Fund (MRF), one of the major reforms in the Clean Power Action Plan, has launched today.…”
“Storm Claudia brought heavy rain and high winds to the UK, resulting in flooding to several areas. The worst impacts were felt in Wales, where a major incident was declared in Monmouth. In England, the Environment Agency is reporting 57 pro…”
“Let me first convey apologies from the Minister for Nature, my honourable Friend the Member for Coventry East (Mary Creagh). She would have loved to be here for the urgent question, but she is currently attending COP30 in Brazil. In her abs…”
“As part of our record £10.5 billion flood defences programme, the largest in history, the Environment Agency is progressing multiple schemes to improve resilience to flooding locally. These include natural flood management projects for Blue…”
“Cleaning up our waters is a priority for this Government. The Government will respond to the recommendations published in the final report of the Independent Water Commission through a White Paper and will bring forward root and branch refo…”
“Today, the Environment Agency will publish its Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) for 2024 and Ofwat will publish their Water Company Performance Report (WCPR) for the 2024-25 financial year.…”
“The Government is pleased to announce that today we have launched a consultation on strengthening the Environment Agency’s tools for enforcing against offences committed by water companies.…”
“I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill is a landmark piece of legislation that will implement obligations in the United Nations BBNJ agreement in UK law and enable us to mo…”
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