Flooding (Hansard, 11 March 2003)

§ Mr. Gardiner
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the flood risk data released by the Environment Agency to the Association of British Insurers on 29 January. [101357]

§ Mr. Morley
The Environment Agency has provided the initial results of an R&D project called Risk Assessment for Strategic Planning (RASP) to the Association of British Insurers under agreement for assessment purposes only at this stage. The Agency is working closely with the ABI and leading insurance companies to ensure that the best available data can be provided at the earliest opportunity to insurers and the public. The data are not sufficiently accurate to be placed in the public domain at the present time but the Agency plans to make new flood risk maps available to the public in late 2003.

§ Mr. Goodman
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibilities(a) the Environment Agency, (b) county councils, (c) district councils, (d) unitary authorities, (e) the Highways Agency and (f) other public bodies have to (i) deal with and (ii) prevent flooding. [102403]

§ Mr. Morley
Flood defence is currently delivered in partnership between Defra, which has policy responsibility, and the operating authorities—the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs).
The EA is the principal flood defence operating authority with responsibility for managing flood risk from designated main rivers and the sea. The EA is also responsible for public awareness campaigns, flood forecasting and warning and for exercising a general supervision over all matters relating to flood defence. IDBs exist in areas of special drainage needs and have responsibility for ordinary watercourses in their area. Local authorities (district, borough and unitary councils) are responsible for ordinary watercourses where no IDB exists, and maritime councils also have powers to take action against coastal erosion and sea flooding. The responsibilities on the coast are set out in shoreline management plans. Local authorities also take the lead in emergency planning and managing the emergency response to flooding.
The present institutional and funding arrangements have recently been reviewed and I shall be announcing the outcomes of this review shortly.
Sewerage companies are under a statutory duty to ensure the effective drainage of their area. This is not however regarded as extending to an absolute duty to prevent sewer flooding under any circumstances, which would be technically impossible.
Other public bodies, including the Highways Agency, are responsible for minimising the effects of their activities on the run-off of water and flooding through consultation with the EA and other operating authorities.