The Water Bill would introduce greater competition in the water sector by allowing non-household customers to switch their water and sewerage supplier (retail competition) and by allowing new entrants to the water market to provide new sources of water or sewerage treatment services (upstream competition).
Water Bill (502 KB , PDF)
The Water Bill would introduce greater competition in the water sector by allowing non-household customers to switch their water and sewerage supplier (retail competition) and by allowing new entrants to the water market to provide new sources of water or sewerage treatment services (upstream competition). Reforms would be made to the regulation of the water industry, including giving Ofwat a duty to secure the long-term resilience of water supplies and sewerage. The Bill also seeks to address the availability and affordability of insurance for households in high flood risk areas. Other measures include provisions enabling water-related legislation to be brought under the environmental permitting framework at a later date, and changing the regulation of Internal Drainage Boards.
This Note is intended to provide background information in advance of the Bill’s second reading in the House of Lords on 27 January 2014. It outlines measures contained in the Bill and summarises proceedings at report stage and third reading in the House of Commons.
Water Bill (502 KB , PDF)
The House of Lords is due to debate a motion moved by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) that “this House takes note of the role of civil nuclear power in meeting the United Kingdom’s (1) electricity needs, and (2) energy security”. This article gives an overview of nuclear power in the UK. It looks at issues such as its role in meeting carbon reduction targets, safety and the disposal of radioactive waste.
In November 2021, the National Infrastructure Commission published the baseline report from its forthcoming second National Infrastructure Assessment. The baseline report evaluates the current state of the UK’s economic infrastructure and identifies key challenges for the coming decades, informing recommendations in the full assessment in 2023. The baseline report found that there has been significant progress in some areas such as gigabit broadband since the last Assessment in 2018. However, it added much more was required, particularly in areas such as electricity emissions and water pollution.
Catch up on events from around the world this month. We take a closer look at the 26th Conference of Parties, which is the international summit on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and examine an article published in The Conversation discussing whether the summit could be considered a success.
