The All Party Parliamentary Water Group brings together Parliamentarians and stakeholders from across the UK water sector to discuss the issues impacting the sector.
About the Group
The All Party Parliamentary Water Group provides a forum for Parliamentarians and interested stakeholders to monitor government and regulatory policy and maintain a dialogue with government, Parliament, the water sector and a wide range of other interested groups. The Group has been running for nearly 10 years and is one of the most active All Party Groups in Parliament, holding regular meetings throughout the year on a wide range of topics.
The Group Officers
The Group is led by a cross-party team of officers, headed by our Group co-chairs, Angela Smith MP and Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.
Angela Smith MP, Co-Chair
Angela Smith was Shadow Water Minister from April 2014 to September 2015, having previously served as Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, and is now a leading member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. She has been the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge (formerly Sheffield, Hillsborough) since May 2005 and is one of the party’s leading voices on environmental and conservation issues.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, Co-Chair
Anne McIntosh was elevated to the peerage as Baroness McIntosh of Pickering in October 2015 following a long career as first an MEP, from 1989 to 1999, and then as Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton (formerly Vale of York) from 1997 to 2015. She has a huge range of experience and expertise in environmental policy having served as Shadow Environment Minister from 2007 to 2010 and as Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee from 2010 to 2015.
Neil Parish MP, Vice Chair
Neil Parish is a former MEP who was elected as the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton at the 2010 general election. During his career in the European Parliament, from 1999 to 2009, he sat on the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. He has served as Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee since 2015, having been re-elected following the 2017 general election.
The Earl of Selborne, Vice Chair
The Earl of Selborne is a respected ecological expert and former Chair of the Science and Technology Select Committee in the House of Lords. He has been a Peer since 1971 and has served in a wide range of senior roles including as President of the Royal Agricultural Society from 1987 to 1988, as President of the Royal Geographical Society from 1997 to 2000 and as a Patron of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.
Water and the Agricultural Bill
New time and venue: 6-7pm, Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Date: Wednesday 17 October 2018
Time: 6.00pm to 7.00pm
Venue: Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Join us at the next meeting of the Group on Wednesday 17 October from 6.00pm to 7.00pm in Wilson Room at Portcullis House. Please note the change of location and time due to House authorities switching the room.
The meeting follows the recent publication of the Agricultural Bill which sets out how farmers and land managers will be paid for public goods such as better water quality, improved soil health, public access to the countryside and measures to reduce flooding after the UK leaves the EU.
The APPWG will hear from speakers, including:
- Angela Smith MP, Member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee
- Jake Rigg, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Affinity Water
- Debbie Tripley, Director of Environmental Policy and Advocacy at WWF UK
- Rebecca Hesketh, EU Exit Adviser, National Farmers’ Union
Register to attend
APPWG Annual Water Innovation Reception
Group materials
January 2017 – Cyber Security and Data Management
February 2017 – Annual General Meeting
March 2017 – Water Resource Management
June 2017 – AGM and Affordability in the Water Sector
December 2017 – Are we planning for the skills for the future?
February 2018 – Water Infrastructure and the National Policy Statement for Water Resources
March 2018 – Better Water Usage and the 25 Year Environment Plan
April 2018 – The introduction of retail competition: one year on
Group Sponsors
The Group is supported by a range of organisations across the water sector who help fund the running of the Group via its secretariat, Connect. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Group please contact appwg@connectpa.co.uk.
Contact the Group
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the Group, please contact Fenella Nance at the Group’s secretariat on appwg@connectpa.co.uk.
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