Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 40
40
Accepted
The 2019–24 NAP demonstrated limited ambition and insufficient action on AMR in wastewater.
Conclusion
The 2019–24 NAP contained limited ambitions regarding AMR and the environment, although it was based on a ‘One Health’ approach. An independent evaluation of the 2019–24 NAP by the Policy Innovation and Research Unit was particularly critical of the UK’s management of wastewater, and highlighted a lack of data and insufficient policy action taken to address the issue of wastewater in relation to AMR.104
Government Response Summary
The government commits to publishing a White Paper by Autumn 2025 outlining its approach to embedding public health across the water system, continuing the Chemical Investigations Programme (Phase 4 reporting in 2027), and commissioning further research on human health and wastewater evidence gaps by Summer 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
8.1 The department agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2027 8.2 The Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, published its report on 21 July 2025. It recommends making public health a statutory objective for water companies and highlights their role in tackling antimicrobial resistance through better wastewater management. It also recommends that the UK and Welsh governments should tighten regulatory oversight of sludge activity by moving the treatment, storage and use of sludge into the Environmental Permitting Regulations. The department will provide a full response via a White Paper in Autumn 2025, setting out its approach to embedding public health across the water system, ensuring public health is addressed substantively and systemically. 8.3 The department has been working with water companies under their Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP), to improve the evidence base on the behaviour and fate of contaminants during treatment processes. Research from phase 3 of CIP investigated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and sewage sludge and evidence suggested that anaerobic digestion – the prevalent sewage sludge treatment method – demonstrated some level of effectiveness in reducing AMR in sludge. Building upon these findings, phase 4 aims to delve deeper into the relationship between AMR and sludge and will report in 2027. 8.4 Defra is also in discussions with DHSC and stakeholders to understand the evidence gaps on human health and wastewater. The department will commission further research to address these gaps by Summer 2026 and will continue to test and improve the evidence base.