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800642

registered interest
date	04/12/2017
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the effect of riparian ownership laws on the number and extent of cases of flooding; and whether there are plans to transfer ownership of culverts with the potential to cause flooding to (a) the Environment Agency or (b) local authorities.
tabling member constituency	Morecambe and Lunesdale
tabling member printed	David Morris
uin	117263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2017 answer text <p>The government has no plans to undertake an assessment of the effect of riparian ownership laws on the number and extent of cases of flooding. There is a common law duty on owners of land to keep watercourses clear of anything that could cause an obstruction, either on their own land or downstream if it is washed away. Land owners have the same responsibilities for the upkeep of a culverted watercourse as if it were an open watercourse.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to transfer ownership of culverts to the Environment Agency or local authorities. The Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities and Internal Drainage Boards have powers to require landowners to maintain the flow of their watercourses.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 07/12/2017 12:11:41 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4135 label Biography information for David Morris

659523

registered interest
date	15/12/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which sites she has identified as being at high risk from potential flooding caused by storms this winter.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	57919
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2016 answer text <p>By the end of September 2016 the standard of protection to all communities affected by last winter’s flooding had been restored to the same standard as before last winter’s storms. Temporary measures are in place to protect communities where permanent repairs will take longer to complete.</p><p> </p><p>You can check your flood risk at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk</a></p><p> </p><p>The Met Office’s three month outlook for December, January and February suggests that the most likely outcome overall is for a typical winter. For December-January-February period as a whole, below-average precipitation is slightly more probable than above-average.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/12/2016 12:09:29 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

659527

registered interest
date	15/12/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total (a) budget and (b) full-time equivalent workforce was of her Department's Flood Management Team in each of the last six years.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	57941
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2016 answer text <p>The Government is investing £2.5 billion over six years on improving flood defences (up until 2021). This is a real terms increase in capital investment – up from £1.7 billion in the last Parliament and £1.5 billion between 2005 and 2010. We are exceeding our manifesto commitment by building 1,500 new flood defence schemes that will better protect over 300,000 more homes.</p><p> </p><p>The capital programme is built up of flood and coastal erosion schemes developed and promoted by local authorities, internal drainage boards and the Environment Agency in collaboration with communities.</p><p> </p><p>Separate to this, the budget – or resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (RDEL) – and full time equivalent workforce (FTE) figures for Core Defra’s flood management team (i.e. not including flood management teams in Defra’s Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies), which is responsible for developing policy on flood risk management and responding to emergencies including flood, is set out below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>FY</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Core Defra flood management and Emergencies RDEL (£m)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Core Defra Flood Management and Emergencies FTE</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>11/12</strong></p></td><td><p>36.0</p></td><td><p>31.67</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>12/13</strong></p></td><td><p>43.6</p></td><td><p>31.67</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>13/14</strong></p></td><td><p>25.4</p></td><td><p>35.47</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>14/15</strong></p></td><td><p>25.4</p></td><td><p>37.47</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>15/16</strong></p></td><td><p>15.9</p></td><td><p>37.70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>16/17</strong></p></td><td><p>8.1</p></td><td><p>40.0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The change in RDEL over the last 6 years is explained primarily by the gradual transfer of funding for councils’ Lead Local Flood Authority roles (LLFAs) from Defra to the Department for Communities and Local Government. This began in FY 13/14; FY 16/17 is the first year DCLG was responsible for all of central Government’s funding for LLFAs.</p><p><em> </em></p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 21/12/2016 14:55:41 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

458212

registered interest
date	07/03/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness of Flood Re and (b) whether her Department's long-term strategy fund for flood defences has been distributed fairly.
tabling member constituency	Brigg and Goole
tabling member printed	Andrew Percy
uin	30062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2016 answer text <p>Flood Re began its operational testing phase in July 2015. The Flood Re Board expect to be ready to accept policies from April 2016, once it is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Once operational, Flood Re will be accountable directly to Parliament and be reviewed at least every five years.</p><p> </p><p>The allocation of Government Grant in Aid for projects in the long term capital programme uses Defra’s Partnership Funding approach which ensures a fair allocation for projects throughout the country. Funding is potentially available for any project where the benefits of the scheme are greater than the cost and are allocated based on outcomes (economic damages avoided and number of households protected), rather than a percentage of the costs. This approach secures value for money for the taxpayer, ensures that a fair share is available for all projects over time and that flood management is not limited to what central Government alone can afford.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 10/03/2016 11:54:51 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	3939 label Biography information for Andrew Percy

449371

registered interest
date	01/02/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the total spending allocation her Department has made to supporting communities affected by recent floods has been spent to date.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	25051
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2016 answer text <p>Defra is administering a Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers affected by the flooding. Further support to communities is available through the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Farmers affected by flooding will be able to claim grants of between £500 and £20,000 to cover the cost of restoring their farmland. The RPA will pay out on all eligible claims. The deadline for Fund applications is 1 April 2016.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 04/02/2016 17:51:46 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

447224

registered interest
date	25/01/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the distribution of nitrogen and phosphates in the English river system since recent flooding; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of that distribution on the natural environment.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne East
tabling member printed	Mr Nicholas Brown
uin	23848
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2016 answer text <p>The Environment Agency records the concentrations of nitrates and phosphates at thousands of locations across England. It monitors on either a monthly or quarterly basis over the course of the year. The January data should soon be ready for compilation. Many of the December samples were taken before the heavy rain so analysis of the data is still being carried out.</p><br /><p>Heavy rainfall events, such as those experienced in the recent floods, generally cause an initial flush of nutrients from agricultural land and urban drainage systems to rivers.This causes an increase in river nutrient concentrations which then falls away due to dilution by high river flows.During floods, large amounts of nutrients are washed down rivers into coastal waters. If this occurs in summer it can trigger algal blooms, feeding on the nutrients. In winter, the effects are not generally significant as the reduced sunlight and colder water temperatures mean that algae do not grow.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 29/01/2016 12:08:07 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	523 label Biography information for Mr Nicholas Brown

447227

registered interest
date	25/01/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of additional algae in river and pond systems since the recent flooding in England on those systems; and what information her Department holds on levels of toxins produced by algae in those systems and their effect on the marine environment.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne East
tabling member printed	Mr Nicholas Brown
uin	23875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2016 answer text <p>The Environment Agency assesses the presence of algae in the spring, summer and autumn as this is when algae can become a nuisance to people and nature.</p><br /><p>The recent floods will have flushed nutrients from agricultural land and urban drainage systems into rivers and lakes. Much of this increased nutrient loading washes down into estuaries and coastal waters. Since the flooding has occurred in winter months, when algae are not growing, there is unlikely to be an immediate effect. Sunny and hot conditions may lead to a higher number of blooms but this will depend on the weather in the spring and summer months.</p><br /><p>The Environment Agency and Cefas will also monitor in response to reports of toxic algal blooms at any time of year. They hold data on the levels of toxins in samples from affected sites, which inform management action. Where toxins pose a risk to the quality of shellfish, to recreational or other users of waters, this can result in closure of shellfisheries or action to warn the public about the hazards.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 29/01/2016 13:11:20 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	523 label Biography information for Mr Nicholas Brown

444866

registered interest
date	14/01/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of the current funding levels of (1) the Environment Agency, (2) lead drainage authorities, and (3) district councils, on (a) small scale flood alleviation schemes, (b) preventive and regular maintenance of drainage systems, and (c) the ability of these bodies to respond to emergencies.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL5064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2016 answer text <p>The Government confirmed in the Spending Review that the Environment Agency’s maintenance budget would be protected, in real terms, over the life of this Parliament.</p><br /><p>Under the Land Drainage Act, internal drainage boards assess how much funding they need in order to carry out works and then charge this to rate and levy payers accordingly. Internal drainage boards receive funding from agricultural rate payers in their drainage district and from district and unitary authorities via a special levy which they place on those bodies.</p><br /><p>The Government provides funding to lead local flood authorities to carry out their duties under the Flood and Water Management Act but local authorities decide what to spend on drainage and flood prevention according to local priorities. As part of a consultation on the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2016-17, the Government has proposed protecting this funding in real terms over the life of this Parliament.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 27/01/2016 13:46:57 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

444867

registered interest
date	14/01/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the role of district councils in two-tier areas in the maintenance of drainage systems, the prevention of local flooding, and action when flooding occurs.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL5065
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2016 answer text <p>District councils have several responsibilities and powers in relation to flooding and land drainage. These include powers to carry out flood risk management works on ordinary watercourses, powers to make bye-laws to manage flood risk in the authority’s area from ordinary watercourses and to secure the efficient working of a drainage system in the authority’s district or area. Those in coastal areas are also Coastal Protection Authorities.</p><br /><p>District councils are also responsible for a set of civil protection duties for emergencies. Plans are regularly reviewed and tested as part of local exercise arrangements.</p><br /><p>Defra commissioned an independent evaluation into the arrangements for managing local flood risk under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The evaluation has now concluded and will be published in due course. One of the areas the evaluation explored was partnership working between the Lead Local Flood Authority and other risk management authorities, including district councils.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 27/01/2016 14:38:43 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

444643

registered interest
date	13/01/2016
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Floods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department is providing to businesses which have been affected by floods to help them make resilient repairs to their properties.
tabling member constituency	Leeds West
tabling member printed	Rachel Reeves
uin	22363
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2016 answer text <p>As part of the Government’s £200m recovery support package those business affected by the flooding can access Business Support Grants and business rate relief. In addition businesses are eligible for the Property Level Resilience Scheme which is being administered by Local Authorities. This provides up to £5000 per flooded property to make resilient repairs.</p><br /><p>The Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service (CRSS) provides advice, guidance and tailored sector support to help organisations adapt to the changing climate. This includes a Business Resilience Healthcheck (BRHC). This was developed with Business in the Community and Climate UK (CUK) to help businesses identify their vulnerability to a number of risks, including severe weather events and climate change.</p><br /> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 21/01/2016 15:13:01 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4031 label Biography information for Rachel Reeves