Question follow-through · 49298

Water Supply: Pollution

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the presence of (a) antidepressants, (b) contraceptives and (c) other over-the-counter medications in the water supply.

answeredDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Tabled
29 Apr 2025
Target answer date
1 May 2025
Answer
7 May 2025 · 8 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Environment and energy

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Votes on this topic

These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.

Recorded timeline

  1. 29 Apr 2025

    Question tabled

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the presence of (a) antidepressants, (b) contraceptives and (c) other over-the-counter medications in the water supply.

  2. 1 May 2025

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 7 May 2025

    Answer published

    Water companies are required by law to assess and manage risks to drinking water quality, including those posed by pharmaceutical substances such as antidepressants, contraceptives and over-the-counter medications. Where a risk is identified, appropriate ...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Miscanthus

30 Apr 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential environmental merits of including Miscanthus as an incentivised crop under SFI 2026.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Beaches: North Cornwall

7 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve water quality at beaches in North Cornwall constituency.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Packaging: Recycling

14 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility fees for (a) glass and (b) plastic packaging on small producers

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies: Public Benefit Corporations

15 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation to force water companies to become public benefit corporations.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Inland Waterways: Sewage

30 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of public waterways polluted by sewage on (a) young children and (b) families.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Companies

4 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of Water Commission's 2025 interim report findings on (a) dividends and (b) debts of water compan

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Environment Protection

10 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether fines received for environmental breaches are hypothecated back into environmental schemes.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Rivers and Seas and Oceans: Sewage

12 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NGOs, (b) non-profit organisations and (c) Surfers Against Sewage on levels of sewage in rivers and seas.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Marine Recovery Fund and Nature Restoration Fund

16 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to combine the proposed (a) Nature Restoration Fund and (b) Marine Recovery Fund.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Sports: Equipment

17 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the sale of flying ring frisbees.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Rivers: Sewage

19 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of Surfers Against Sewage's publication entitled Water Quality Report 2025, published in April

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Fires

23 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of bonfires involving non-garden waste materials on (a) the environment and (b) public health.