§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public money was spent on flood(a) defences and (b) prevention measures in the last 12 months, brokendown by (i) county. (ii) local authority and (iii) in London. [12886]
§ Mr. MorleyInformation is not collected in the format requested and could not he obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public money has been spent on flood warning systems in the last 12 months. [12887]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Environment Agency is responsible for flood forecasting and dissemination of warnings in England. I understand the Agency spent £23.4 million on this during the last 12 months.
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received from the Environment Agency regarding flood(a) prevention and (b) defences. [12884]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Environment Agency has asked the Government to recognise and commit to meeting the need for a significant further increase in funding on a planned basis to (a) improve flood warnings and (b) maintain and improve the overall standard and extent of flood defence. This will be considered alongside other evidence through the Spending Review 2002 process. Current plans are for this Department's spending on flood and coastal defences for all operating authorities to increase from last year's outturn of £66 million to £114 million in 2003–04.
The Agency has also asked the Government to consider alternative institutional arrangements for delivering the flood and coastal defence service. We are already doing so as part of the present review of funding arrangements.
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much private money was spent in the last four years on flood defences and flood prevention. [13021]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Government do not collect information on the work undertaken by private individuals to protect their properties against flooding. In some cases beneficiaries of flood defence works undertaken by the operating authorities will make a contribution to those works. Comprehensive information on such contributions is not available in respect of works undertaken by local authorities or internal drainage boards but contributions to the Environment Agency in England were as follows:
451W
£ million Year 1997–98 0.2 1998–99 0.3 1999–2000 0.5 2001–01 0.3
§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much public funds were spent, broken down by local authorities, agencies and other relevant organisations on flood defences and flood prevention in the last four years; how much public spending on flood defences/prevention is planned for the next two years; and how much additional money she promised in 2001 for flood defences and flood prevention on top of that pledged in the last spending review. [13102]
§ Mr. MorleyFlood defence is provided by the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards. The following table shows expenditure, from all sources, by the different operation authorities.
£ million Year Environment Agency Local authorities Internal drainage boards1 Total 1997–98 255.2 13,0 40.0 308.2 1998–99 247.2 15.0 40.3 302.5 1999–2000 260.3 15.4 40.7 316.4 2000–01 270.4 220.1 41.0 2331.5 1Estimated 2Provisional The great majority of this expenditure is provided by Government in the form of DEFRA grant (for approved capital and other works) and by DTLR through revenue support grant (which is used by local authorities to fund levies to the Environment Agency, special levies to internal drainage boards and to finance their own spend on flood and coastal defence).The Spending Review 2000 provided for an increase in DEFRA grant of £10 million in 2002–03 and £20 million in 2003–04. It also provided for local authority Standard Spending Assessments for flood and coastal defence to increase by some 4.4 per cent. annually over the period.
A further £51 million of DEFRA support was announced by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 4 November 2000. This was allocated as follows: £2 million in 2000–01; £17 million in 2001–02; £17 million in 2002–03 and £15 million in 2003–04. A further £6.6 million to assist the Environment Agency to meet its emergency costs was announced in January 2001 and allocated in 2001–02.
The following table sets out total Government funding of flood and coastal defence for the last four years and forecast expenditure for the current and next two years:
Year £million 1997–98 312.4 1998–99 315.9 1999–2000 326.3 2000–01 331.7 2001–02 376.9 2002–03 393.5 2003–04 414.2
§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has taken to streamline the agencies that have a responsibility for flooding matters, with particular452W reference to (a) the Environment Agency, (b) the internal drainage boards, (c) local authorities, (d) British Waterways and (e) other boards. [13415]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Government are considering this issue as part of the current review of funding arrangements for flood and coastal defence.
§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to ensure that flood prevention is not paid for exclusively from council tax. [13385]
§ Mr. MorleyIt is already the case that the great majority of expenditure on flood and coastal defence is currently met out of general taxation.
In the current year DEFRA expects to provide direct funding of some £92 million to the operating authorities while some £264 million is provided to local authorities through DTLR's standard spending assessments which are largely supported by central grant and non-domestic rate income. Local authorities use this to fund levies to the Environment Agency, special levies to internal drainage boards and their own spend on flood and coastal defence.