§ Mr SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what type of waterborne craft were available to the Environment Agency for flood relief purposes in(a) 1998 and (b) 2000; and if she will make a statement. [44705]
§ Mr. MorleyThe information requested is not held centrally by the Environment Agency and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. However, I understand the total number, by region, of waterborne craft currently operated by the Agency available for deployment in an emergency situation is as follows:
830W
Number North East 70 Midlands 54 Southern 17 Thames 119 North West 22 Anglian 18 South West 49 EA Wales 50 Total 399 Additional craft are made available for use in an emergency by bodies such as the RNLI and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.