Barry Gardiner MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
50 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Water Companies: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7978More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she agrees with Recommendation 46 of the Independent Water Commission.
Answer: Our White Paper commits to taking forward Recommendation 46 of the IWC. We will make it easier for a company’s owners to change their ownership model, by ensuring the new regulator has a transparent process to assess whether an ownership change should go ...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7977More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of the inclusion of Recommendation 46 of the Independent Water Commission in full in the Water White Paper.
Answer: Our White Paper commits to taking forward Recommendation 46 of the IWC. We will make it easier for a company’s owners to change their ownership model, by ensuring the new regulator has a transparent process to assess whether an ownership change should go ...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: InsolvencyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6713More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the NAO on the use of the Special Administration Regime in the water sector.
Answer: The UK Government and the National Audit Office regularly engage in discussions on economic issues as part of ongoing stakeholder relations.
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5286More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to designate bathing water status to the 2,487 recreationally-used freshwater sites identified by the Environment Agency which currently do not have such s
Answer: The Government designates bathing waters following a public application and consultation process. This means the process is driven by individuals and groups with direct ties to sites highly popular with bathers, who best understand how they are used and v...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: InsolvencyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 1 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 5285More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her department has had with the ONS regarding the use of the Special Administration Regime in the water sector.
Answer: The UK Statistics Authority (which includes the ONS) is a Non Ministerial Department sponsored by the Cabinet Office. At present, DEFRA has not had discussions with the ONS regarding the use of SAR in the water sector.
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: StandardsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1101More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's policy is on operator self-monitoring.
Answer: We are putting an end to Operator Self-Monitoring and ensuring the public have confidence in the data that is produced from water company assets. We will implement an Open Monitoring approach so everyone can see what is happening, with clear, accessible d...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: ProsecutionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 129793More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2026 to Question 128631, how many of the 5 prosecutions related to offences which took place after 27 March 2020 were for sewage discharge offences.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: ProsecutionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 27 Apr 2026Awaiting answerUIN 129792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 128631 to Question 27 April 2026, if she will list the 37 prosecutions by the (a) name of the water and/or sewage company prosecuted, (b) date of prosecution, (c) date of the offence for which they were prosecuted, (d) financial penalty imposed, and (e) date on which the financial penalty was received from the company.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordThames WaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 22 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129066More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the principal statutory duties are of Thames Water Utilities Limited's licence.
Answer: Under section 37 of the Water Industry Act 1991 a water company has the duty to ensure the supply of water within its area of appointment and to develop and maintain an efficient and economical supply system for that purpose, as well as to ensure arrangem...
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: ProsecutionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April to Question 127788 on Water Companies: Prosecutions, of the 37 completed prosecutions against Water and Sewerage Companies since 27 March 2020, how m
Answer: Of the 37 prosecutions since 27 March 2020, 32 prosecutions were for offences that took place before 27 March 2020, and 5 prosecutions were for offences that took place after 27 March 2020.
Answered 27 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: ProsecutionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions the Environment Agency has completed against Water and Sewerage Companies for offences that have taken place since 27 March 2020.
Answer: Since 27 March 2020, there have been 37 completed prosecutions against Water and Sewerage Companies. A water quality prosecution is any criminal proceedings relating to a failure to properly manage water or sewage treatment.
Answered 21 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written QuestionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to answer Written Parliamentary Question UIN 123113.
Answer: Written Parliamentary Question UIN 123113 was answered on 16 April 2026.
Answered 22 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written QuestionsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to answer Written Parliamentary Question UIN 124051.
Answer: Written Parliamentary Question UIN 124051 was answered on 28 April 2026.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordSewage: Waste DisposalDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 124437More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, since 27 March 2020, how many offences relating to discharge of sewage from a water company asset have the Environment Agency prosecuted.
Answer: Since 27 March 2020, there have been 37 completed prosecutions against Water and Sewerage Companies. A water quality prosecution is any criminal proceedings relating to a failure to properly manage water or sewage treatment.
Answered 15 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 124051More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of to Question 122633, on Water Companies: Repairs and Maintenance, whether her Department will publish the initial cost information on ending operator self-moni
Answer: The Government has committed to ending Operator Self Monitoring. The Environment Agency has provided early, high‑level indicative cost estimates to support the Department’s initial exploration of options for future monitoring arrangements. These figures w...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordThames Water: FTI ConsultingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings she has had with FTI consulting in which discussions took place regarding placing Thames Water into a Special Administration Regime.
Answer: Officials from Defra continue to meet with FTI Consulting to ensure that this Government is fully prepared for all eventualities, whist working with Ofwat to help support a market-led solution to the company’s issues of financial resilience and operationa...
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordThames Water: FTI ConsultingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the most recent advice that FTI Consulting have given the Department on placing Thames Water into a Special Administration Regime.
Answer: Any advice received from FTI Consulting in this context would be commercially sensitive, and it would not be appropriate to publish it.
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordThames WaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the most recent legal advice her Department has been given with regards to initiating a Special Administration procedure for Thames Water.
Answer: It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice.
Answered 14 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123122More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has undertaken an analysis to assess whether using Regulated Capital Value to measure water company values provides the most accurate measure of their value sinc
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2026 to PQ UIN 120291.
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Companies: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123121More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has undertaken an analysis to assess whether using Regulated Capital Value to measure water company values provides the most accurate measure of their value sinc
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2026 to PQ UIN 120291.
Answered 31 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWater: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123114More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her department has set a date by which it aims to have ended operator self-monitoring in the water industry.
Answer: Government has committed to ending ‘operator self-monitoring’ so water companies will no longer mark their own homework on pollution incidents. We will develop a new strengthened open monitoring approach for monitoring wastewater. This will be driven by g...
Answered 13 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123113More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the (a) financial and (b) non-financial costs to the public between the privatised model and public ownership of th
Answer: The Government has no intention to nationalise the water industry, and therefore has no current plans to asses the financial or non-financial costs to the public between the privatised model and public ownership of the water industry. The Independent Wat...
Answered 16 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordWater: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will provide the names of the members of the Working Groups cites in A New Vision for Water (2026).
Answer: A wide range of stakeholders were consulted on reforms through the Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence, which received over 50,000 responses. Whilst there was not a formal working group for the White Paper, ahead of publication we engaged wit...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWater: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the list of Working Groups cited in A New Vision for Water (2026).
Answer: A wide range of stakeholders were consulted on reforms through the Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence, which received over 50,000 responses. Whilst there was not a formal working group for the White Paper, ahead of publication we engaged wit...
Answered 26 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordWater: RegulationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 123110More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the costs of the transition set out in the Water White Paper from four water regulators to one.
Answer: Across all our reforms the goal is to deliver our key outcomes - environment, customers, investability - in the most effective and efficient way possible to ensure lasting value.
Answered 30 Mar 2026
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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