HC Deb 02 December 1997 vol 302 cc149-50W
Mr. Loughton

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance is available to farmers for change of agricultural use where current practices may give rise to flooding of adjoining residential areas. [18139]

Mr. Morley

There are schemes available to encourage farmers to convert arable land to grassland which may help to ameliorate run off from agricultural land; for example farmers can choose to enter eligible land into set-aside. Additional incentives may be available to farmers in Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) to convert arable fields into permanent grass. The ESA scheme also provides capital grants for the creation or re-instatement of dykes and ditches and for the construction of water penning structures.

Ministry grant aid might be available towards the cost of flood alleviation works undertaken by the Environment Agency or local authorities if those bodies could devise an engineered solution to the flooding problem which met established criteria.