Every parliamentary written question tabled by Sarah Olney this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–15 of 15 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of an indirect potable reuse scheme which would take treated sewage from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works, process it using an advanced water recycling plant using reverse osmosis to remove PFAS, and discharge the treated water into the Queen Mary Reservoir for subsequent treatment to potable water by a water treatment works.
Awaiting answer.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of an indirect potable reuse schemes for direct discharge to reservoirs as an environment buffer.
Awaiting answer.
Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost per megalitre of water produced over an eighty-year lifespan of Teddington Direct River Abstraction.
Awaiting answer.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of indirect potable reuse schemes in improving London’s water supply resilience.
Awaiting answer.
Food and Rural Affairs, what are the average cost differences between smart water meter bills and flatline bills.
Customers can be charged for water and sewerage through either the rateable value (unmetered) or via metered volume. Smart meters automatically monitor water usage, enabling water companies and customers to receive more regular data on water consumption. Smart metering offers an opportunity for customers to save money on their bills through identifying water wastage through leaks. Whilst the impacts on bills depend on individual circumstances and customer billing plans, the 2024 Baringa report on smart water metering showed that moving from unmetered charging to a ‘dumb’ meter can reduce water consumption by 12–15% and transitioning directly to smart meters can lead to reductions of up to 17%. Customers may wish to contact the Consumer Council for Water (CCW) for additional support and advice on getting a smart meter installed and the impacts this could have on their bills. Customers can use the CCW water meter calculator, to assess any potential bill savings they could make if they installed a smart water meter.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ending the use of (a) cages for hens and (b) farrowing crates for pigs.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 47556
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to fund (a) rural and (b) coastal (i) infrastructure and (ii) services.
This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in coastal and rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. In addition to funding for sustainable farming and nature recovery, the Government has confirmed investment of over £1.9 billion over four years into broadband and 4G connectivity, and £2.3 billion of Local Transport Grant funding for smaller cities, towns and rural area. This funding addresses the key blockers to growth in rural areas. On 19 May, we launched the “Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund” that will invest £360 million over the next 12 years to support the next generation of fishermen and breathe new life into our coastal communities.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 21168 on Amazonia: Rainforests, if he will provide a breakdown of the funding to the Andes-Amazon Biodiverse Landscape Fund.
The UK funded Biodiverse Landscapes Fund supports developing countries to fight poverty, protect nature, and tackle climate change in six landscapes, spanning 18 countries. In the Andes Amazon landscape, covering parts of Ecuador and Peru, the £12.3 million funding will be targeted to deliver three aims including: strengthening Indigenous Peoples and local community organisations; developing bio-business value chains that drive nature-friendly economic growth; and improving the connectivity and quality of conserved areas. Implementation is through a consortium of international and national organisations led by the global development charity Practical Action, selected through a competitive bid exercise, working in partnerships with the Governments of Ecuador and Peru. It is not possible to give a full breakdown of funding per activity at this stage as this will change over the course of delivering the seven-year programme.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the Environment Agency’s modelling of average (a) daily and (b) monthly volumetric river flow rates for each gauging station on the Thames from Reading to Kingston f
The Environment Agency (EA) does not model flow at gauging stations using drought event return periods. The modelling of flow under a range of climate scenarios is carried out as part of planning by water companies to assess how resilient their supply sys...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the Environment Agency’s modelling of the average (a) daily and (b) monthly percentage of (i) usable and (ii) deployable capacity in each of the (A) Lower Lee Group
The Environment Agency (EA) does not model how resilient water company owned supply systems are to drought. It is the responsibility of the water companies to ensure that their systems can deliver secure water supplies for customers whilst ensuring they m...
Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of volumetric river flow rates corresponding to the locations of each gauging station on the Thames from Reading to Kingston.
The Environment Agency operates six river flow gauging stations on the River Thames between Reading and Kingston. These are located at Reading, Maidenhead, Windsor, Staines, Walton and Kingston. The recent daily mean flow at these sites on 11 September 20...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the expected reservoir levels for each Lower Thames reservoir for drought events (a) 1:100 years, (b) 1:200 years and (c) 1:500 years.
Public water supply reservoirs are the responsibility of the water companies. The Government has not made such estimates; however we are committed to improving water resilience and we are closely monitoring the delivery of their water resources management...
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Thames Water on the definition of best value in the context of the Teddington DRA and Water Resource Management plan.
The Teddington Direct River Abstraction scheme has been selected by Thames Water in its Water Resources Management Plan from one of 2,400 options modelled at a regional level, by Water Resources South East. The options were put through an options appraisa...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing of mandatory quaternary water treatment of wastewater.
Defra currently has no plans to introduce and make quaternary treatment mandatory for domestic wastewater treatment. Where it is deemed necessary as an additional wastewater treatment process, costs and benefits will be assessed, and stakeholder consultat...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Teddington Direct River Abstraction project on water quality in its vicinity; and if he will take steps to ensure the adequ
Teddington Direct River Abstraction (DRA) is a water recycling scheme considered in Thames Water’s draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024 (dWRMP24) and Water Resources South East’s (WRSE) Regional Plan as a supply option for 2030/31. The Environment A...