§ Mr. GummerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues in the Netherlands on similarities between the approaches taken in the UK and in the Netherlands to(a) the protection of the coastline, (b) the use of soft defences in coastal protection, (c) managed retreat and (d) managed realignment; and if she will make a statement. [164249]
§ Mr. MorleyI have had informal discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Netherlands on matters relating to coastal defences. However, officials from the two countries meet on a regular basis. Recognising the benefits to be gained by shared experiences both in respect of policy and engineering solutions, officials from the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and England agreed to meet on an annual basis more than five years ago and so formed the North Sea Coastal Managers Group. The English delegation is led by my Chief Engineer.
Meetings of the group have proved an invaluable forum for the exchange of information on the subjects raised by the right hon. Member. However it is important to recognise that there are differences between the Netherlands and England both in terms of the geography of the coastline and the proportion of the economic wealth at risk of flooding.