Ben Spencer 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.
10 published records · newest first.
Written questions
River Thames: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9703More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains Government policy to support the delivery of the River Thames Scheme.
Answer: The Government is working with the Environment Agency (EA) on the proposal for the River Thames Scheme, with the EA leading the development in line with its National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. The scheme’s main objective is to red...
Answered 18 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Thames: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9702More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of when River Thames Scheme main construction works will begin.
Answer: The Environment Agency is progressing the River Thames Scheme following the reset, with an updated Outline Business Case which will be submitted in summer 2026. The programme timeline for the Development Consent Order and Construction phases will be agree...
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Thames: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9701More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the planned timetable is for the submission of the Development Consent Order for the River Thames Scheme.
Answer: The Environment Agency is progressing the River Thames Scheme following the reset, with an updated Outline Business Case which will be submitted in summer 2026. The programme timeline for the Development Consent Order and Construction phases will be agree...
Answered 25 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSewers and Water Supply: Runnymede and WeybridgeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6660More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of additional house building on the resilience and capacity of a) water and b) sewerage systems in the Runnymede and Weybridge area
Answer: Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water and wastewater provision for customers. Companies set out how they plan to meet and continue to meet these duties through statutory Water Resources Management Plans, and Drainage an...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordWater Supply: WeybridgeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 6659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will make an assessment of the a) resilience and b) capacity of the local water provision following shortages in the Weybridge area.
Answer: Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers. Companies set out how they will continue to meet this duty through statutory Water Resources Management Plans. They must maintain their plans and are required to revi...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Thames: Flood ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 2 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 110069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on the River Thames Scheme; what her planned timetable is for that scheme; and what the (a) current and (b) projected expenditure is for that sche
Answer: Significant progress has been made in preparing for The River Thames Scheme to undergo Statutory Consultation to inform the application of a Development Consent Order (DCO). The mid-project review, initiated by Project Sponsors: The Environment Agency (EA...
Answered 9 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordSewersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108289More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to issue national guidance on the application of sustainable drainage systems.
Answer: The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). In December 2024, we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to support increased delivery of Sustainable Drainage Systems.The depa...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSewersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108288More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to increase the level of funding and resources for local authorities for the purpose of regulating and approving Sustainable Drainage Systems.
Answer: The Government is committed to improving the implementation of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). As part of this commitment, we will consider local authority funding for regulating and approving SuDS.
Answered 30 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSewersDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108287More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to be brought into force in England.
Answer: The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). In December 2024, we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to support increased delivery of Sustainable Drainage Systems.The depa...
Answered 29 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRiver Thames: AssetsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94449More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the level of resource required to a) repair and b) maintain essential river assets, including weirs and sluice gates, on the River Thames.
Answer: The 195 sets of weirs and sluices that exist along the 217km of non-tidal Thames are owned and operated by the Environment Agency (EA) and are regularly inspected to assess their condition, operational effectiveness, and safety. Critical parts of the weir...
Answered 3 Dec 2025
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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