Lord Carlile of Berriewasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their policy in relation to flood control in the Upper Severn Basin on the Wales/Shropshire border. [HL1332]
§ Lord WhittyThe department, with the National Assembly for Wales (NAW), has overall policy responsibility for flood and coastal defences in England and Wales and administers grant-aid for capital defence schemes. Operational responsibility for flood measures rests with the local operating authorities, normally the Environment Agency (EA) and local councils, which decide which projects to promote and their timing.
The aim of Defra and NAW policy is to reduce the risks to people and the developed and natural environment from flooding and erosion: by encouraging the provision of adequate and cost-effective flood warning systems; by encouraging the provision of adequate, technically, environmentally and economically sound and sustainable flood and coastal defence measures; and by discouraging inappropriate development in areas at risk from flooding or coastal erosion.
Defra and NAW encourage operating authorities to look strategically at flood risk areas in relation to river catchments. The EA is currently preparing a catchment flood management plan for the Upper Severn and any options for flood alleviation measures arising from this plan must satisfy essential criteria to qualify for either Defra or NAW grant.