Speeches by Dollimore.

“It was a bid that you had moved heaven and earth to pave the way for, so how did you feel in that moment? You had let it proceed on an exclusive basis, and you have found yourself in an extremely uncomfortable position in front of this Committee. How did you feel when KKR pulled out?”

“You have said in your accounts that were published this morning that you expect it will take 10 years to fix sewage dumping in the Thames. Are you asking to be let off the hook for 10 years as part of this regulatory reset?”

“Well, it has confirmed that it would be the case if the CEO and the CFO were excluded; but at the point on 4 November, they were included.”

“They do not feel that way. Actually, the impact of the evidence session last time was dismay and disbelief. It did not motivate the people they represent.”

“Just on that point—may I refer the House to my register of interests—the biggest union that represents Thames Water staff is the GMB. It has written to us to say that there was widespread disbelief when the chairman described senior managers as the company’s greatest asset. It has also said that industrial relations ar…”

“I think most people out there would say that what we were trying to crack down on with the Water Special Measures Bill was money in addition to base salary for poor performance. Whether that is performance-related pay, or whether it is a bonus, most people would see it as extra.”

“On this point about the importance of retaining the senior management team versus the importance of retaining the junior frontline staff doing the work of fixing the pipes, the remuneration committee minutes contain a reference to concern about the welfare of senior staff. Have there been any discussions at the remuner…”

“What about the welfare of those staff?”

“The return of the Bayeux tapestry to this country for the first time in almost 1,000 years is a triumph for Britain. The tapestry quite literally wove Hastings and 1066 Country into our national history, but while we are often at the centre of historical events, we have not always felt the benefits, and our area is in …”

“What is the mainstream scientific consensus on these chemicals of concern and the impact that they have on humans?”

“They are legal threats from companies in the industry.”

“You think that that has had a big impact on scientists operating in this field.”

“You touched on sachets there, which are a huge source of plastic pollution. They are perhaps not as well known in the UK, because they are used more often in the global south and cause huge pollution, particularly in the oceans. Is that something that you hope to see a clear ban on in the plastics treaty and what do yo…”

“Allison, Richard, did you want to add anything on those points?”

“We will come on a bit more to product design later in the questioning. On the point that you made, Richard, noting what the Chair said, about having threats against you and legal letters, without referencing who those might have come from, is that something you have experienced a lot as a scientist working in this area…”

“It is important because it sets the context in which these discussions are taking place and the context in which you, as scientists, are operating. You have talked about the need to have truly independent science available to the decision makers, so it is relevant in that context, but I can feel that you do not want to…”

“We are coming on to that shortly. It was a more general point about who the worst offenders are, which companies are impressing you, and then on sachets particularly in the global south.”

“I refer the House to my entry in the register of interests. Before diving in on the specifics of chemicals, I wanted to ask a general question, probably for Rudy and Allison. In the UK, which are the worst offenders and which are the companies you are impressed by?”

“Do you think that those upstream producers perhaps do not get as much scrutiny from consumers and the public because they do not face the consumers in the same way and the brand is not as known?”

“What is the mainstream scientific consensus on these chemicals of concern and the impact that they have on humans?”