Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Deferred
Paragraph: 168
Independent analysis of publicly available monitoring data, using machine learning techniques, has produced insights into...
Recommendation
Independent analysis of publicly available monitoring data, using machine learning techniques, has produced insights into the performance of the sewerage network which appears to have been beyond the current capacity of the Environment Agency to achieve, let alone water companies. The Environment Agency must improve its capacity to handle the very large volumes of data which will be provided in the course of automated monitoring of water quality and of storm overflows.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states that the independent Sentencing Council will consider the recommendation on improving the capacity to handle large volumes of data.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
168
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
Through the Comprehensive Spending Review in November 2021 and subsequent budget determination process, Defra has reviewed the Environment Agency’s Grant-in-Aid water quality budget. The department has made significant increases to the Environment Agency’s budget for inspections and enforcement of the farming sector and water companies, allowing 500 sewerage inspections per year and 4000 farms visits. In addition to increased funding to enable the Environment Agency to modernise and digitise their water quality monitoring system. The Environment Agency also receives charging funds from permits that it can use to increase compliance.
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