§ Q6. Mr. Ellisasked the Prime Minister which Minister is responsible for the issue of flood warnings to the general public.
§ The Prime MinisterIn England and Wales, flood warnings are issued to the general public by the police on advice 1586 from river authorities. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has primary responsibility because of his concern for the flood protection activities of river authorities. In Scotland, the local authorities are responsible for the warning systems and the initial warnings come from sources such as the Hydro-Electric Board; Ministerial responsibility in Scotland rests with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
§ Mr. EllisDoes my right hon. Friend accept that at the time of the last floods information was available in various people's hands and significant warning could have been given which would have enabled people to take their furniture upstairs? The difficulty is that there are about four Departments involved. What we want is the coordination of information so that it can be used, and to do this one Minister is needed to knock the organisation into shape.
§ The Prime MinisterI am afraid that there are different responsibilities, and this was shown by the very prompt reaction made at the time of floods in the South-East. I dealt with this matter at some length during Question Time last week, and I said that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government was taking up with other Ministers, with the police, with river authorities and everyone else concerned the steps which need to be taken as soon as water piles up in one area of a river authority to ensure that a warning is given right down the line, which is what my hon. Friend is concerned about.
§ Mr. BuckWould not the Prime Minister agree that the experiences resulting from the flooding during the summer illustrate the crying need for a civil emergency force? Why will he not assist the volunteers who are prepared to do this sort of work at no cost to the taxpayer?
§ The Prime MinisterMy impression was that the reaction of the local authorities—and I am thinking particularly of the most recent cases in the South-East—and the speed with which the service departments were able to operate on the invitation of the county authorities concerned showed a very fine and flexible response. The suggestion which the hon. Gentleman has in mind might slow down rather than speed up the work.