Lord Blencathra (Con)

My Lords, first, I congratulate Sir Jon Cunliffe and his team on this thoroughly detailed review of the water industry. There are many of his 88 recommendations we support, including the replacement of Ofwat. In the other place and on the airwaves last weekend, the Secretary of State for Defra tried to demonise the last Government for lack of progress on water improvement. Will the noble Baroness the Minister acknowledge that £93 billion of the £104 billion the Government boast they have raised was raised by the last Government and that the target to cut 50% of sewage discharges is less than the target of cutting phosphates by 80% set by my noble friend Lady Coffey in the last Government? The Government are able to set meaningful targets now only because the last Conservative Government increased monitoring of storm overflows from 7% under Labour to 100% in 2023. We welcome the new regulator. Does the Minister agree that it should be independent of the water industry but completely answerable to the Secretary of State and, through that, to Parliament, so we get proper parliamentary scrutiny for the first time? I note there is a recommendation for metering for all and for a social tariff system. While metering and paying for usage is a legitimate aim which would benefit low water users, a social tariff system is just a euphemism or another term for a tax based on income or wealth. Does she accept that turning water charges into a tax to make some people pay more, such as retired pensioners, even if they use little water, is regressive and unacceptable?