1-20 of 19,009 results for subject:Water
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To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether receipt of (i) support and (ii) priority access to an electricity-grid connection by a data-centre development will be conditional on compliance with minimum standards for (a) energy efficiency, (b) water efficiency, (c) the use of low-carbon electricity,...
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether receipt of (i) support and (ii) priority access to an electricity-grid connection by a data-centre development will be conditional on compliance with minimum standards for (a) energy efficiency, (b) water efficiency, (c) the use of low-carbon electricity,...
The Government is committed to supporting the sustainable growth of the UK's data centre sector reflecting their critical importance to the economy, public services and national security. A limited number of strategically important data centres may be supported through the Connections Accelerator Service (CAS) subject to the CAS Project Selection Process. The selection process includes due diligence from DBIST and an evaluation of the project alignment to government priorities including economic growth, jobs and net zero objectives. CAS provides enhanced engagement with network companies to identify opportunities to accelerate connections where possible, but it does not guarantee an earlier connection date.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the water management grant of up to £15 million, within the drought support package.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the water management grant of up to £15 million, within the drought support package.
The Government recognises the significant challenges that drought conditions can pose for farmers and growers. As part of the drought support package announced on 14 August 2026, up to £15 million has been made available to support on-farm reservoir construction.
The proposed level of funding has been informed by evaluation evidence from the previous two rounds of the Water Management Grant, where applications are expected to result in around £12.5 million of grant expenditure in total. Given the previous government were unable to spend the full budget allocated to the previous rounds of the Water Management Grant, we won’t repeat that failure and as such will continue to monitor delivery and demand to ensure the grant supports practical investments that strengthen water security and farm resilience to climate change.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the replacement value of flood defence and water management assets in the Fens, (b) the proportion of those assets expected to reach the end of their design life by 2040...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the replacement value of flood defence and water management assets in the Fens, (b) the proportion of those assets expected to reach the end of their design life by 2040...
This information is publicly available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fens-2100.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to require operators of AI-capable data centres to report annual water consumption to regulators.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to require operators of AI-capable data centres to report annual water consumption to regulators.
A recent report by the Water Research Centre concluded that existing data centres in England account for just 0.2% of current non-household demand. As the sector grows, Defra is working across government and with the Environment Agency to better understand this expected growth and reduce its impact, including by supporting the rollout of smart meters to improve the evidence base on water us in the non-household market.
The Government expects data centre developers to work closely with water companies to secure sustainable supplies and explore alternative water sources, such as collected rainwater, where suitable.
Data centre proposals are considered through the planning system, and local planning authorities take account of relevant environmental impacts. Prospective AI Growth Zone sites must demonstrate sufficient access to water to support at least 500MW of AI infrastructure through written confirmation from the relevant water supplier.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with local planning authorities on the water requirements of proposed AI-capable data centres.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with local planning authorities on the water requirements of proposed AI-capable data centres.
A recent report by the Water Research Centre concluded that existing data centres in England account for just 0.2% of current non-household demand. As the sector grows, Defra is working across government and with the Environment Agency to better understand this expected growth and reduce its impact, including by supporting the rollout of smart meters to improve the evidence base on water us in the non-household market.
The Government expects data centre developers to work closely with water companies to secure sustainable supplies and explore alternative water sources, such as collected rainwater, where suitable.
Data centre proposals are considered through the planning system, and local planning authorities take account of relevant environmental impacts. Prospective AI Growth Zone sites must demonstrate sufficient access to water to support at least 500MW of AI infrastructure through written confirmation from the relevant water supplier.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026, to question 22817 on Reservoirs: Cambridgeshire, what assessment has she made of the source of the high nitrate levels found in water sources used to fill Grafham Water.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026, to question 22817 on Reservoirs: Cambridgeshire, what assessment has she made of the source of the high nitrate levels found in water sources used to fill Grafham Water.
A drought permit application is expected from Anglian Water in early October to support refilling Grafham Water if sustained rainfall is received. The Great Ouse Catchment System Plan partnership project has been formed to identify and track sources of nitrate and develop strategies to reduce it.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026, to question 22817 on Reservoirs: Cambridgeshire, what steps she has taken to ensure Grafham Water can be refilled to 100% this winter following the exceptionally dry weather this summer.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2026, to question 22817 on Reservoirs: Cambridgeshire, what steps she has taken to ensure Grafham Water can be refilled to 100% this winter following the exceptionally dry weather this summer.
A drought permit application is expected from Anglian Water in early October to support refilling Grafham Water if sustained rainfall is received. The Great Ouse Catchment System Plan partnership project has been formed to identify and track sources of nitrate and develop strategies to reduce it.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed AI-capable data centres in Essex on local water resources.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed AI-capable data centres in Essex on local water resources.
The Government recognises that, while data centre water use is likely to remain a small component of national water demand (less than 1%), local impacts may be significant, particularly during periods of peak demand. Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce is bringing together government, regulators and the water industry to improve the evidence based on data centre water use.
Water companies are not required to supply water for data centre cooling and may refuse a connection where sufficient resources are unavailable. The Government expects developers to work closely with water companies to secure sustainable supplies and explore alternative water sources where possible.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impacts of caffeine as an emerging environmental pollutant on freshwater and saltwater ecosystems.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impacts of caffeine as an emerging environmental pollutant on freshwater and saltwater ecosystems.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to embed wildfire resilience into land‑use, water and nature recovery policy.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to embed wildfire resilience into land‑use, water and nature recovery policy.
Defra is delivering the change to land use needed to increase our resilience to the impacts of climate change. This includes restoring the peatlands, wetlands and woodlands that store carbon and reduce wildfire risk to farmland, homes, infrastructure and nature. Following the 2026 wildfires we are considering options to improve wildfire resilience.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reduction in household water consumption South Staffs Water is required to achieve through universal metering; what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that moving an unmetered household to metered charging reduces demand by approximately 13%; and...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reduction in household water consumption South Staffs Water is required to achieve through universal metering; what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that moving an unmetered household to metered charging reduces demand by approximately 13%; and...
South Staffs Water's metering programme forms part of its wider demand management activities. Ofwat's PR24 framework sets expectations for demand reduction and monitors delivery against company commitments through its regulatory performance framework.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment Ofwat has made of South Staffs Water’s progress in reducing leakage; how the reported saving of one million litres per day from leaks repaired in 2025 compares with the company’s total daily leakage; and what proportion...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment Ofwat has made of South Staffs Water’s progress in reducing leakage; how the reported saving of one million litres per day from leaks repaired in 2025 compares with the company’s total daily leakage; and what proportion...
South Staffs Water has a target to reduce leakage by 17% during 2025-30. Ofwat assesses company performance through its regulatory reporting and performance framework, which includes leakage and demand management measures.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to require data-centre developers and operators to disclose their expected and actual annual water consumption.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to require data-centre developers and operators to disclose their expected and actual annual water consumption.
Current evidence suggests existing data centres in England account for just 0.2% of non-household demand. Defra is working across government and with the Environment Agency to better understand the sectors growth and reduce its impact, including by supporting rollout of smart meters in the non-household market.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what ways citizen science water quality monitoring groups will be involved in the development of regional water resources plans where they are not represented on Regional Water Planning Steering Groups.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what ways citizen science water quality monitoring groups will be involved in the development of regional water resources plans where they are not represented on Regional Water Planning Steering Groups.
We are investing in citizen science to improve environmental understanding and generate high-quality evidence to solve water system problems. Government has doubled support to catchment partnerships and funded Water Environment Improvement Fund projects which support development of citizen science. Catchment Partnerships will ensure regional plans are grounded in local knowledge.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 3 September (HL Deb col 243), what steps they have taken to ensure that water shortage is not significantly due to poor management by water companies of leakage.
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 3 September (HL Deb col 243), what steps they have taken to ensure that water shortage is not significantly due to poor management by water companies of leakage.
Water companies have committed to halving leakage by 2050, from a 2017/18 baseline, and the Government has set an interim target of 30% reduction by 2032. The Water Delivery Taskforce is holding water companies to account for delivery of their planned investments, within and beyond Price Review 2024.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to amend (a) environmental permitting and (b) waste licensing requirements to facilitate the reuse of treated wastewater for non-potable industrial uses.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to amend (a) environmental permitting and (b) waste licensing requirements to facilitate the reuse of treated wastewater for non-potable industrial uses.
Defra is exploring opportunities for businesses to use treated wastewater instead of drinking water or water taken from the environment. The Environment Agency supports innovation and wastewater treatment approaches where there is sufficient evidence, regulatory assurance, and protection of people and the environment.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cumulative impact (1) fire risk, (2) water use, (3) noise, and (4) landscape impacts, where an AI data centre and a battery energy storage system are proposed on the same or adjacent sites.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cumulative impact (1) fire risk, (2) water use, (3) noise, and (4) landscape impacts, where an AI data centre and a battery energy storage system are proposed on the same or adjacent sites.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of recruitment and retention trends among teachers involved in delivering curriculum swimming and water safety lessons in schools.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of recruitment and retention trends among teachers involved in delivering curriculum swimming and water safety lessons in schools.
The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.
The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.
The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the statutory swimming and water safety requirements in the National Curriculum.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review the statutory swimming and water safety requirements in the National Curriculum.
The current PE national curriculum requires all primary pupils to be taught to swim competently and confidently over 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively, and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.
The government accepted the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which recognised the benefits of PE while identifying a need for greater clarity, consistency and progression across the curriculum, including in swimming and water safety. In response, the department is developing a revised PE programme of study, which will be subject to consultation.
The reforms will strengthen the emphasis on swimming and water safety and will be supported through the new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network, drawing on expertise from organisations including Swim England.
The department has not made a specific assessment of recruitment and retention among those delivering curriculum swimming. However, the School and College Voice survey published in May 2025 found that 94% of primary schools surveyed relied solely on external teachers to teach swimming and water safety, compared with 6% using internal swimming staff and 20% supporting delivery. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-and-college-voice-omnibus-surveys-for-2024-to-2025/school-and-college-voice-may-2025#sec-Swimming-and-water-safety.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the outcomes of the River Chess Smarter Water Catchment pilot since its launch in 2021; and what plans she has to apply lessons learned from...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the outcomes of the River Chess Smarter Water Catchment pilot since its launch in 2021; and what plans she has to apply lessons learned from...