HC Deb 24 April 2002 vol 384 cc276-7W
Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total expenditure on sea wall defences in England and Wales was in each year from 1990 to 2001. [50983]

Mr. Morley

This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many miles of sea wall were repaired in the county of Essex in each year from 1990 to 2001. [50984]

Mr. Morley

Information is only readily available for works undertaken by the Environment Agency; local authorities and other owners of defences may also have undertaken works. I understand that the agency undertook repairs on 22 kilometres of sea walls in Essex in each of the years in question and also undertook capital improvements as follows:

Kilometres
Frontage improved
1990–91 0.3
1991–92 6.5
1992–93 0.8
1993–94 11.0
1994–95 11.0
1995–96 12.5
1996–97 11.5
1997–98 1.5
1998–99 2.3
1999–2000 3.5

John Cryer

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies are being made by(a) the Environment Agency, and (b) other organisations commissioned by her, in respect of estimating the likely increases in the height of tidal crests above the continental shelf of western Europe and the seas surrounding the United Kingdom; and what consequential adjustments will be made in the time-height ratios used as a basis for improving flood defences around the United Kingdom. [52060]

Mr. Morley

The Department and the Environment Agency (EA) manage a joint programme of research and development on flood management. Recent studies have been carried out by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory and HR Wallingford, both leading institutions in coastal and tidal research. In this context their conclusions are that the current recommendations of the Department which suggest an allowance of between 4 and 6 mm per year of relative sea level rise (depending on location) are a prudent response to current predictions of climate change.

Ongoing work is considering new climate change scenarios and preliminary indications are that this will broadly confirm the earlier conclusions.