{"value":{"id":1815149,"askingMemberId":5241,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2025-06-20T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2025-06-24T00:00:00","uin":"61683","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what options his Department considered for the use of fines collected from water companies.","answeringBodyId":13,"answeringBodyName":"Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":false,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":4645,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2025-06-27T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>Following the Spending Review, the Government has confirmed water company fines will be allocated to local environmental projects and programmes to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.</p><p> </p><p>Over £100 million in fines has been levied against water companies since October 2023, which will be reinvested into local environment projects and programmes to address pollution and improve water quality.</p><p> </p><p>More information on this announcement can be found on <a href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-invest-over-100m-in-water-company-fines-to-local-environmental-projects\" target=\"_blank\">GOV.UK</a>. A further announcement on the details on the projects and programmes that this funding will go towards will be set out in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Water company fines that accumulated between April 2022 and October 2023 will be invested through the Water Restoration Fund. Up to £11 million of funding was made available on a competitive basis to support a range of water restoration projects to improve the water environment. Successful applicants have been notified, and an official announcement will follow in due course.</p><p> </p><p> </p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Water Companies: Fines","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1815149","method":"GET"}]}