Speaking in the House of Commons Chamber, Shadow DEFRA Minister and Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson has welcomed the Cross-party Environmental Audit Committee’s new report on addressing the risks posed by Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) [often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’] are a large group of thousands of synthetic chemicals, hundreds of which are used commercially across multiple industries. Evidence has been mounting about rising PFAS levels in the environment, alongside increasing concern about the potential risks they pose to human health, wildlife and ecosystems, particularly those dependent on watercourses.
Under the previous Conservative Government, significant groundwork was undertaken to understand and manage PFAS risks. Ministers commissioned the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive to produce a comprehensive Regulatory Management Options Analysis (RMOA). This analysis assessed the presence of PFAS in the environment, identified their sources, and evaluated potential risks to inform future regulatory and policy approaches. This work laid the foundations for further action, including the publication of the current Government’s PFAS Action Plan in February 2026, which builds on the evidence and recommendations generated through the RMOA process.
Dr Hudson highlighted the importance of the Environmental Audit Committee’s cross‑party work in scrutinising PFAS risks and driving forward action to protect people, animals and the environment. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has identified PFAS issues in untreated water at hundreds of water treatment works, reservoirs, boreholes and supply systems serving more than six million people. As a result of this contamination, the DWI instructed water companies at the end of 2025 to upgrade their assets to reduce PFAS levels, and this work is expected to progress at pace.
The Committee’s report calls for the Government to strengthen its regulatory approach to PFAS, and ensure that polluters bear the cost of cleaning up contaminated waterways and soil.
In the Chamber, Dr Hudson said:
“As Shadow DEFRA Minister, I congratulate and thank the Chair of the Committee and his cross-party Environmental Audit Committee for this excellent and timely report. As he has said, PFAS—these forever chemicals—are hugely damaging to the environment and pose significant risks to human health, animals and wildlife. The previous Government started work with the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive to look at monitoring and risk, and as the Chair said, the current Government have taken that work forward through the PFAS report in February this year.
“However, as his report rightly says, more needs to be done, so does he agree that the Government now need to take this work further and move more into the areas of prevention and solutions, such as placing pressure on water companies to enforce Drinking Water Inspectorate guidelines on PFAS limits?”
Speaking afterwards, Dr Hudson commented:
“PFAS contamination is a serious and growing challenge, and the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee’s report provides an important, evidence‑based roadmap for action.
“I also want to thank the Drinking Water Inspectorate for the vital work they do in monitoring water quality and identifying PFAS risks across the country. Their expertise and vigilance are essential as we continue to build on the scientific and regulatory groundwork already undertaken, so that we can deliver meaningful progress on this issue.”
