Mr. Michael FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate how many properties have benefited from flood defence funding since 1997 broken down by constituency. [155087]
§ Mr. MorleyDefra grant aids capital projects and related studies that meet specified economic, technical and environmental criteria and achieve the threshold priority score for the year in which they start. Decisions regarding which flood and coastal defence projects to promote, their timing and appropriate solutions are matters for the operating authorities—the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and (in areas with special drainage needs) internal drainage boards.
The Department estimates that 290,000 houses have benefited from flood defence projects (excluding those for flood warning or primarily to protect against coastal erosion) approved between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2003. The programme is a rolling one and other houses will have benefited from projects approved prior to 1997 which will have been funded in the period. There is likely to be an element of double-counting in these figures where different projects (for example for annual beach recharge) have benefited the same houses. Such double-counting could not be removed, and neither could the total be broken down by constituency, without incurring disproportionate cost. The Department has agreed Service Delivery Agreement (SDA) Target 27 with HM Treasury to reduce flood risk to a further 80,000 houses (with no double—counting) during the 437W Spending Review 2002 period—2003–04 to 2005–06.Because of the measurement method used for the SDA target (counting houses at project completion rather than approval) this figure will include some of the houses included in the 290,000 figure above.
Mr. Michael FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what flood defences were funded by her Department, broken down by constituency, since 1997. [155089]
§ Mr. MorleyDefra grant aids capital projects and related studies that meet specified economic, technical and environmental criteria and achieve the threshold priority score for the year in which they start. Decisions regarding which flood and coastal defence projects to promote. their timing and appropriate solutions are matters for the operating authorities—the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and (in areas with special drainage needs) internal drainage boards.
The list which has been placed in the Libraries of the House, shows capital flood defence works projects (excluding those for flood warning or primarily to protect against coastal erosion) approved for grant since 1 April 1997. Of course the programme as a whole is a rolling one and some projects approved prior to 1997 will also have received funding in the period. I regret that I am unable to break the list down by constituency without incurring disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to protect houses that have been built on flood plains. [150380]
§ Mr. MorleyWe recognise that there are around 1.9 million properties in England in flood risk areas that are at some risk of flooding.
Defra provides grant aid to the flood and coastal defence operating authorities to support their capital schemes to reduce flood risk, including through the improvement of flood warnings. These projects must meet specified criteria and an appropriate priority score to attract Defra funding but decisions regarding which projects to promote and their timing rest with these authorities. The principal operating authority for flood risk is the Environment Agency (EA) but local authorities (LAs) and, in areas with special drainage needs, internal drainage boards (IDBs) also carry out works on a much smaller scale overall.
The effective management of flood and coastal erosion risk is a priority for Government. This is demonstrated by the substantial increase in funding in recent years and for the SR2002 period. For example, total Government expenditure on flood and coastal defence was £310 million in 1996–97, £439 million estimated in 2003–04 and is planned to be £564 million in 2005–06.
Defra has two relevant SDA targets under SR 2002. One relates to the delivery of the enhanced flood and coastal defence capital programme over the SR2002 period, reducing the risk to life, to major infrastructure, environment assets and to some 80,000 houses. The other is to implement the outcomes of the flood and coastal defence funding review, including funding the Environment Agency's flood defence service through a 438W single stream of Defra grant in aid and transferring to the Agency responsibility for all rivers creating the greatest flood risk.
In addition, Defra has initiated work on a major new Government strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management, including consideration of possible new funding streams.