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Mr. Morley: I well understand the trauma and distress suffered by my hon. Friend's constituents, as well as the anger that they feel. I know from my visit to Northampton how much work he and my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) have done to support those who were so severely affected and to relay their concerns.

I do not think that the report can be described as damning. It is balanced and hard hitting and identifies the failures, many of which have been accepted by the Environment Agency. It is important that we get on with implementing the recommendations and learning the lessons.

It is for Lord De Ramsey to consider his own position, but I should point out that he went to Northampton and faced the local people in a public meeting where they had an opportunity to question him at first hand. We must learn the lessons and look forward, not backward, so that we can deal with the problems, especially in Northampton, and ensure that such events never happen again.

Mr. Tim Boswell (Daventry): The Minister will be aware that I preceded him in the responsibility for flood defence and gave the agency its current remit. I, too, welcome the Bye report and his statement and I endorse the comments of the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) about the importance of monitoring

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the action plan as it develops. The Bye report concentrated heavily on the problems of the borough of Northampton, to which the Minister has promised Bellwin aid today, but my constituents who reside in Daventry district and especially in south Northamptonshire also suffered real and substantial problems. Will the Minister consider those problems and ensure that action is taken? Where there is a clear case that the Environment Agency has failed in its duty, will he undertake to consider losses sustained by constituents, wherever they live, that seem appropriate for compensation and recommend to the agency that it should recognise its responsibilities?

Mr. Morley: I certainly understand the hon. Gentleman's involvement in flood defence and accept that he knows the issues well. Close monitoring is needed, and I have already freely accepted that point. That measure will be implemented and we intend to set targets for the agency, which will be monitored. That means a new, close and, I hope, more transparent relationship with the agency.

I freely accept that others were affected. Although Northampton was the most severely affected, that is no consolation to others who were flooded, and I concede that their needs must also be considered.

On compensation claims, the policy of this Government, as of previous Governments including the one in which the hon. Gentleman served, has been not to compensate for insurable risks. It is difficult and divisive to do so.

Mr. Phil Hope (Corby): My constituency, too, contains people affected by the floods. Many of my constituents in Corby and east Northamptonshire are engaged in lengthy legal battles with developers, local authorities and water companies over liability for the costs of the floods. Many of my constituents believe that their homes are almost unsaleable because of the damage that was wrought, and they fear the response if they put their homes on the market in future.

I echo the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, South (Mr. Clarke): the report was a damning indictment of the Environment Agency and its chairman should look to his position. If the report is to be implemented in full, we in Corby and east Northamptonshire must be assured that the Environment Agency is up to the job.

Mr. Morley: I cannot comment on individual legal cases on flood plain developments and potential losses. However, I can give my hon. Friend the assurance that he seeks that the Government will ensure that the targets are monitored. I accept that the report was critical in some areas, and those criticisms have to be faced by the Environment Agency. It must rectify the faults in its systems and we will set targets to ensure that it does.

Mr. Peter Luff (Mid-Worcestershire): I thank the Minister and his Department for the statement today and for the full response to the Agriculture Committee's report on flood and coastal defence, which will be published shortly. We are grateful to him for the seriousness with which he has taken that report. All my constituents who

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were so badly affected by the Easter floods in Evesham and throughout Wychavon will welcome what he has said today about the Environment Agency's future action, especially on flood warnings which did not work locally as well as they should have done. That welcome will also be extended by members of the Agriculture Committee, whose recommendations are clearly reflected in the Minister's comments today.

It is all very well having excellent flood and coastal defence works in place, but if inappropriate development takes place on the flood plain the floods will occur again. There is no point in putting a party slant on that, because district councils of all political persuasions bear a share of the responsibility. What will the Minister do to ensure that inappropriate developments do not take place in the future?

Mr. Morley: The recent report of the Select Committee on Agriculture was an important advance. It dealt with serious issues in a balanced, thoughtful and weighty way, and I am glad that the hon. Gentleman, who is Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, appreciates that we have tried to respond in kind.

The report points out, and I accept it, that flood warnings clearly failed in certain parts of the country last Easter. We are determined to rectify that and to ensure that they work better in future. I understand the concern raised by the hon. Gentleman and by others about inappropriate development on flood plains. The Bye report said that matters had improved in recent years--there is more awareness of the potential risks of developing on flood plains. I welcome that, and we must take the risks into account. They are a matter for planning, and my colleagues at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions are giving thought to whether there should be improvements in guidance for planning authorities.

Dr. George Turner (North-West Norfolk): The Minister will know that my constituents have good reason to take a keen interest in flooding and flood protection. I was pleased to hear him raise the prospect of proper simulation exercises, but will such exercises be evaluated independently so that people do not end up patting themselves on the back for how well they have done?

My hon. Friend also referred to the many bodies that are involved at times of flood. The media have a key role to play, but I have learnt over the past year that they often feel unsatisfied about the flow of information to them. Will the Minister assure me that the role of the media will be among the matters considered as we look to the future?

Mr. Morley: Emergency exercises must be properly evaluated. The lead responsibility for doing so lies with the Home Office, and I know that the matter is under consideration. The Bye report flagged up the important role of the media in ensuring that flood warnings are disseminated as widely as possible. I am sure that media organisations will have taken that on board.

Dr. Evan Harris (Oxford, West and Abingdon): The village of Kidlington in my constituency was badly affected and was one of five areas specially examined by the report. I pay tribute to Mr. Carl Smith, the parish clerk for Gosford and Water Eaton, who contributed a great

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deal to the report and is mentioned in it. There was great trauma in Kidlington, for the simple reason that it was not raining there, and the Cherwell valley was merely draining water from an area where there was rain.The sad fact is that there was little in the way of failure of flood defence there: little flood defence was undertaken as it was not felt that the area would be affected.

The Environment Agency should avoid using terms such as "100-year floods" to describe events that may become more frequent as a result of global climate change. Much work should be done to consider new areas for defence, and to improve warning systems. There was no warning in Kidlington, and that made the problems much worse. Will the Minister join me in regretting the Environment Agency's statement in the report that it is merely considering improvements to the flood warning system in the Kidlington area? The Minister has hinted strongly that contingency funds will be available. Does he agree that the agency should lift its horizons on the work that could be done? Will he consider instructing the agency to consider new methods of flood warning, using future developments in digital television to complement any automatic telephone warning system for those people who could take advantage of it? Perhaps in 10 or 20 years that practice will be more prevalent than is currently envisaged.

Mr. Morley: I certainly appreciate that the residents of Kidlington were affected, and their experiences have helped us to reach the response that we have formulated. It must be borne in mind that the flooding was exceptional, and it did overtop defences designed for a much lower level of flooding. As the Bye report points out, however, some of the flooding was caused by rapid increases in water courses with water arriving from unexpected sources, and that should be recognised in seeking improvements in telemetry for advanced warnings.

On improving flood warning, the Environment Agency proposes a new national centre to integrate the information from weather forecasting and telemetry readings across the country to improve flood warnings so that people get the required information. I accept my hon. Friend's point about the role of new technology. Where there are opportunities for using new technology for flood warning, they should be taken.


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