Rebecca Pow has repeatedly dodged questions about how cuts to the Environment Agency’s (EA) budget would potentially effect the levels of sewage discharges into waterways.
During an oral question session, the under-secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was asked by MPs about reductions to the environmental regulator’s budget but answered only to repeat existing storm overflow plans.
She said the EA has received £2.2 million over the last three years for enforcement, which “has enabled it to do more inspections”.
During the session, Pow highlighted reporting in place from storm overflows and noted that some water companies “have gone over and above”, in particular around the coast.
She said: “That is proving extremely useful for anybody who wants to know the condition of our water. All of this will improve.”
Shadow environment minister, Jim McMahon, challenged Pow on what actions she had asked water company bosses to take to “tackle the Tory sewage scandal that has had turned Britain into an open sewer”.
He said: “It was not seen as a priority that she clean up her own mess, because as a previous environment minister she literally opened the floodgates.”
Pow described meetings with water company bosses as “very feisty”. She said: “The water companies are being held to account. We now have the data we need, thanks to the monitoring and the programmes”.