§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how set-aside land is treated in the investment appraisal carried out by a drainage authority when seeking central Government grant aid;
(2) which crops and livestock products are excluded from consideration as a cost or benefit in the investment appraisal carried out by a drainage authority when seeking central Government grant aid on the grounds that there are no net national costs or benefits due to supply control mechanisms.
§ Mr. CurryThe Ministry plans to publish next month revised and updated project appraisal guidelines on the investment appraisal of flood defence and coast protection capital works. The guidelines will contain specific instructions to drainage authorities covering these issues. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what guidance is given to drainage authorities on the maintenance of the original protection or drainage standard beyond the design life of an earlier scheme;
(2) what guidance is given to drainage authorities on the maintenance of previously grant-aided works where within the design life of the scheme (a) land use changes have occurred that mean that greater economic benefits could be gained by no longer maintaining that scheme and (b) damage to a site of acknowledged environmental interest is occurring through continuing to maintain that scheme.
§ Mr. CurryMaintenance work is essential to the sound management of flood defences and is the responsibility of local flood defence and land drainage authorities. The Ministry does not issue separate guidance on the economic appraisal of maintenance, as opposed to capital, work, but authorities are expected to achieve value for money by keeping their maintenance programmes under review throughout the design life of defences and beyond if they remain sustainable. The Ministry intends to produce guidance on post-project evaluation of defences for authorities later this year.
The Ministry's publication "Conservation Guidelines for Drainage Authorities" advises that authorities should consult the statutory conservation bodies annually and in advance on their maintenance programmes for the following year. A separate Ministry guide, "Environmental Procedures for Inland Flood Defence Works", published last December jointly with English Nature and the National Rivers Authority, advises that the impact of defences on the environment should be 221W audited and that mitigating action may be required if the environmental or engineering objectives have not been achieved.