South-west Regional Flood Defence Committee

HC Deb 12 July 2000 vol 353 c587W

Mr. Steen

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money was allocated to the South-west Regional Flood Defence Committee for capital projects from grants through his Department in each of the last three years. [130002]

Mr. Morley

[holding answer 10 July 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 23 March 2000, Official Report, columns 640–41W, which explained how grant is allocated to the Environment Agency and provided figures for the South-west RFDC for 1996–97 to 1998–99. For 1999–2000, the original Grant Earning Ceiling for the South West RFDC was £2.2 million and the estimated outturn is £0.9 million.

In terms of actual grant payments, the sums paid in the last three years are as follows:

	£ million
1997–98	1.4
1998–99	1.3
1999–2000	0.1

The net amount of grant paid in 1999–2000 reflects(a) the relatively low level of the achieved capital programme and (b) the reclaim of grant paid in previous years on legal costs in the light of the settlement of a contractual dispute in the Agency's favour.