Contributions
1,009 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDThames WaterI agree. The whole mess we inherited was due to the previous Government letting the water companies get away with it; people were paying themselves multimillion-pound bonuses as…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterThat is a very interesting proposal. I hope the right hon. Gentleman will suggest it to Sir Jon Cunliffe, who is currently looking at a better way to regulate.03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterThe hon. Gentleman makes a good point. Part of making the sector more investable is ensuring that we have a robust, clear and predictable regulatory framework, which is what Sir…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterWe are working towards resetting the entire regulatory framework, as the hon. Gentleman may have seen from Sir Jon Cunliffe’s report, published today. He is absolutely right,…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterI thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question; I think what he is referring to, in the round, is the failures of the regulatory system and, indeed, the regulators. He will…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterAs I have said, the Government stand ready for all eventualities, should they be needed.03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterThe hon. Gentleman points with a graphic example to what happens when we face the scale of regulatory failure that developed untroubled under the previous Government. That is why…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterMy hon. Friend gives me the opportunity to congratulate Surfers Against Sewage on its fantastic work highlighting the failures of the water sector under the previous Government. I…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterWater is indeed a human right, which is why this Government are taking every step necessary to sort out the broken water system that we inherited from the previous Government.03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterAbsolutely; we intend to clear up the mess the previous Government made. The fine that my hon. Friend refers to—indeed, there have been others—is the result of the additional…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterAs I am sure the hon. Gentleman is aware, there are procedures to follow that would require any regulated company to go into special administration. As things stand, Thames Water…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterI beg to slightly correct my hon. Friend. Special administration is not nationalisation and nationalisation would cost in excess of £100 billion—money we would have to take away…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterI thank the right hon. Lady for securing this urgent question. I want to begin by making clear that Thames Water remains stable, and the Government are carefully monitoring the…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterI am grateful to the shadow Secretary of State for making it clear to the House that she does not understand the principles of private sector investment, and neither is it…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterI thank my hon. Friend for his question. I reassure him that the Government stand ready for any eventuality and will take action as required. We are not looking at nationalisation…03 Jun 2025HANSARDThames WaterI thank the hon. Member for his question. There is a procedure to be followed for special administration, and we stand ready should that be required, in this case or any other…03 Jun 2025HANSARDMonitoring Sewage Overflows: ScotlandI pay tribute to my hon. Friend for highlighting the pollution and sewage on beaches that so concern his constituents. It is deeply disappointing that the SNP Government in…08 May 2025HANSARDWater Sector Reform: ConsultationI of course agree with the right hon. Member. We are supporting farmers, many of whom were affected by very severe flooding recently, with the farming recovery fund. I am engaging…08 May 2025HANSARDWater Sector Reform: ConsultationMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. The previous Government cut resources for regulation in half, and that is one of the ways water companies were able to get away with so much…08 May 2025HANSARDWater Sector Reform: ConsultationI congratulate my hon. Friend on her tireless work to represent the concerns of people in South Shields about those terrible problems with water pollution. Of course, my hon.…08 May 2025