§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide a breakdown of the projects aided by the £.05 million grant aid provided by his Department towards the Agency's flood warning arrangements. [41786]
§ Mr. MorleyIn my reply to my hon. Friend's question on 6 May 1998,Official Report, column 418, I stated that in the past two years the Department had contributed some £0.5 million (not £0.05 million) of grant towards the Environment Agency's flood warning arrangements. This understated the contribution, which I now correct to £0.75 million. The breakdown is as follows:
196W
£000 Agency Region Project Grant paid (a) National projects North East (on behalf of all regions) New national flood warning dissemination—purchase of capital equipment and contribution to publicity costs 241 (b) Regional projects Local improvements associated with national project and with telemetry systems: Anglia 343 Thames 35 Southern 19 South Western 30 North West 21 North East 59 In addition, the Agency has met the balance of costs of these flood warning arrangements and will have incurred expenditure on other flood warning arrangements for which grant aid has not been sought.
§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many studies commissioned or evaluated by his Department have been completed into the effectiveness of inland flood warning systems since March 1996. [41788]
§ Mr. MorleyNo such research has been commissioned directly by the Ministry. The Environment Agency has commissioned independent annual surveys of public response to assess the effectiveness of their flood warning arrangements. The results of the first survey have been supplied to the Ministry.
My officials have also discussed with the Agency the results of the Agency's independent technical review of new flood warning dissemination systems. This has informed prioritisation of future developments.
§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 May 1998,Official Report, columns 417–18, which local authority areas are covered by inherited arrangements for flood warnings. [41784]
§ Mr. MorleyThis information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The arrangements for dissemination of flood warnings were mainly inherited from the police and the Environment Agency now provides a flood warning service in some one thousand locations.
§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many meetings his officials held with the Environment Agency to discuss the flood warnings systems(a) in March 1996 to March 1997, (b) in March 1997 to March 1998 and (c) since March 1998. [41785]
§ Mr. MorleyThe number of meetings wholly or mainly relating to flood warning systems in these periods is(a) 9, (b) 12 and (c) 1. Flood warning arrangements were also discussed in regular liaison meetings with the Environment Agency and were the subject of detailed discussions with the Agency prior to the Ministerial Direction in March 1996.
§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 May 1998,Official Report, columns 419–20, if he will list (a) the local authorities, (b) the value of the respective grants and (c) the title of the application for each of the applications by local authorities for capital grants for flood and sea defences set out in his answer; and which of these applications were approved. [41782]
§ Mr. MorleyI will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested at(a) to (c) above, and approval status.
§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 6 May 1998,Official Report, columns 419–20, if he will list (a) the local authority area, (b) the value of the respective grants and (c) the title of the application for the applications by 197W the Environment Agency and the Inland Drainage Board from 1995 to 1997 set out in his answer; and which of these applications were approved. [41783]
§ Mr. MorleyI will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested at(b) and (c) above, and approval status. Information on (a) is not readily available and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what flood warning dissemination plan has been developed for Northamptonshire since March 1998. [41787]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Environment Agency's flood warning dissemination plan for Northamptonshire was drawn up in consultation with the local authorities and the Police in September 1996. The plan was reviewed by the Agency in May 1997 and a further review is planned shortly. A copy of the current Plan is being submitted to the Agriculture Committee and placed in the House Library.