§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will assess the benefits of introducing a scheme to provide financial assistance to enable householders to resettle should it prove economically unviable to provide long-term defences against flooding. [137509]
§ Mr. MullinThe Government's first priority is to see what improvements can be made to flood defences, so that resettlement can be avoided. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has recently announced that existing funding for flood defence work will be increased by a total of £51 million over this and the next three years. This additional funding will allow more river-based defence schemes to be progressed.