§ 19. Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the expenditure by the Government on flood defences in 2001. [63023]
§ Mr. MorleyThis Department provides grant (and supplementary credit approvals to local authorities) to the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards for flood and coastal defence capital works. The provisional outturn for 2001–02 is £91 million.
The Government also provided some £268 million in further funding for flood and coastal defence through local authority funding mechanisms. An estimated £40 million was provided from other sources.
§ 22. Mr. FrancoisTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received from the Environment Agency regarding flooding. [63026]
§ Mr. MorleyGiven the Environment Agency's supervisory role for flood defence, it is recognised as a key stakeholder by this Department on flood and coastal 997W defence policy and operational issues. Therefore there is an on-going dialogue between the agency and Department, but recent representations have included the agency's response to the consultation on the Flood and Coastal Defence Funding Review.