Oral QuestionChurch Commissioners

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the second round of applications for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

Tabled: 27 August 2026Answered: 3 September 2026

Asked by

Liz Twist

LabourBlaydon and Consett

Answering Minister

the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners

Answer from Hansard

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Steve Reed)

I welcome the new shadow Ministers to their place—as well, of course, the returning one. Under the previous Government, water companies got away with discharging record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas, leaving them in an appalling polluted state. That is why we are taking immediate action to place the water companies under special measures, with legislation going through Parliament right now that will ban the payment of unfair bonuses to water company executives. We have also launched a commission that will lead a root and branch review of the entire sector, so that we can clean up our waterways for good.