Oral Question·Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
“If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.”
Tabled: 12 March 2026Answered: 19 March 2026
Asked by
Tom Tugendhat
Conservative — Tonbridge
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Answer from Hansard
Emma Hardy
The short answer is yes. The Minister for Housing and I sit on the water delivery taskforce, which considers whether we have the water we need where we need it. We have done some heatmapping to find areas of stress, and have committed to building nine new reservoirs—none has been built over the past 30 years. We also sit on the Ox-Cam group, looking at areas where there is acute stress, to ensure that we have the water security required to deliver growth, support our environment and build the homes that we need.