MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY THE MINISTRY OF
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD (L 3)
PROGRESS REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS
IN SIXTH REPORT FROM THE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE (SESSION 1997-98):
FLOOD AND COASTAL DEFENCE (HC707)
Committee Report published: 5 August 1998
Government Response sent to Committee: 15
October 1998
GENERAL UPDATE
1. The Government continues to make significant
progress in implementing the agreed recommendations in the Committee's
report. We have already reported that interim High Level Targets
for Flood and Coastal Defence were published by MAFF in May 1999
followed by more comprehensive targets in November 1999. The latter
targets took effect from April 2000. The targets impact on many
of the Committee's recommendations and address its particular
concerns about delivery of national policies and objectives for
flood and coastal defence. Published alongside the targets was
an Elaboration of the Environment Agency's Flood Defence Supervisory
Duty.
2. A particularly important target is the
requirement for the flood and coastal defence operating authorities
to produce, by 31 March 2001, publicly available statements of
their policy for implementing the Government's policy aims and
objectives. A template was issued in June 2000 to assist in the
production of these statements.
3. Linked to a number of the Committee's
recommendations is implementation of the recommendations of the
Independent Review of the Easter 1998 Floods (the "Bye"
Report). The measures to ensure the Government's stated aim of
a seamless and integrated approach to flood forecasting, warning
and response were incorporated into the Environment Agency's Action
Plan for implementing that report, published in November 1998.
The Government closely monitored progress in implementing that
Action Plan, reporting to Parliament at regular intervals.
4. Since the Committee reported there have,
of course, been a number of serious river flooding events including
the Severn (October 1998), Derwent (March 1999), South West (Christmas
1999), Northern England (June 2000) and—most seriously of
all—the widespread floods of Autumn 2000. There has also
been sporadic tidal flooding, particularly following winter storms
on the South coast.
5. At the time this note is being prepared
the Autumn floods have yet to recede and their full impact and
causes remain to be assessed. However, it is already clear that
they are on a comparable scale to the seminal river floods of
1947. The Government has asked the Environment Agency, once they
have dealt with the immediate effects of the flooding, to produce
a comprehensive report as early as possible in the New Year. The
report will include an assessment of the causes and effects of
the flooding, the effectiveness of flood forecasting and warning
and of the emergency response arrangements. It will also set out
the impact of development in the flood plain, including the number
of newly developed properties that have been flooded.
6. Following many complaints about inadequate
warnings during the Easter 1998 floods, a key recommendation was
the need for improvements in the flood warning system. Since then
we have worked with the Agency on improvements to flood warning
and have subsequently agreed a flood warning improvement strategy
under which in excess of £100 million will be invested in
flood warning improvements over the next 10 years. Whilst it may
be too early to reach firm conclusions on the current flood event,
quite clearly the flood warning system fared far better than in
1998.
SPECIFIC ACTION
FOLLOWING THE
COMMITTEE'S
REPORT
7. This section is in two parts. Part 1
sets out the action taken by the Government in pursuit of the
recommendations to which it agreed (or provides any updating which
is likely to be of interest to the Committee). Part 2 sets out
those recommendations to which the Government has nothing to add
to its initial response to the Committee.
PART 1
Government's Plans for Flood and Coastal Defence
Expenditure (recommendation b)
8. The committee were encouraged by the
increase in funding agreed in the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Since then we embarked on a major research project which investigated
the potential economic impact of flooding on the nation's economy
to provide data to inform future investment strategies. That data
was used to inform the 2000 Spending Review and two further increases
in spending have been agreed.
— in the 2000 Spending Review, provision
for MAFF financial support was further increased by £10 million
in 2002-03 and £20 million in 2003-04, with another 4 million
for enhancements in the Storm Tide Forecasting Service and related
activities; and
— the Autumn 2000 floods provided further
evidence of the potential economic impact of flooding on the nation
and a further £51 million was made available for this and
the next three years, particularly to provide additional investment
in river flood defence schemes, allow new whole catchment area
studies to proceed, and make an earlier start in flood warning
improvements.
9. The Committee may find it helpful to
have the following table showing flood and coastal defence funding
by the Government over the past decade, with forecasts for the
next three years:
Table 1
TOTAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON FLOOD AND COASTAL
DEFENCE (£ million)
| Year | MAFF Grant and other expenditure
| DETR funding delivered through Revenue Support Grant
| Total |
| 1990-01 | 54.4 | 167.0
| 221.4 |
| 1991-92 | 72.5 | 197.1
| 269.6 |
| 1992-93 | 65.3 | 214.4
| 279.7 |
| 1993-94 | 65.3 | 211.7
| 277.0 |
| 1994-95 | 73.6 | 200.4
| 274.0 |
| 1995-96 | 94.9 | 177.4
| 272.3 |
| 1996-97 | 102.6 | 207.1
| 309.7 |
| 1997-98 | 87.2 | 225.4
| 312.6 |
| 1998-99 | 78.3 | 239.8
| 318.1 |
| 1999-00 | 75.7 | 252.0
| 327.7 |
| 2000-01—budget | 82.7
| 257.1 | 339.8 |
| 2001-02—forecast | 101.7
| 268.2 | 369.9 |
| 2002-03—forecast | 111.7
| 279.7 | 391.4 |
| 2003-04—forecast | 119.7
| 291.7 | 411.7 |
Note: RSG figures for 2001-02 onwards assume increases
in line with general SR 2000 settlement (4.3% annually).
Survey of Flood Defences (recommendation e)
10. Arrangements for inspecting and recording the condition
of all flood defences (including those in private ownership) are
a key feature of MAFF's High Level Targets. Under these, a National
Flood and Coastal Defence Database is being established with arrangements
in hand for its further development and updating. There are also
targets for defences to be identified and inspected, the results
recorded on the database, and flooding and erosion risks assessed.
These assessments will be reported annually to the Ministry starting
in April 2001.
Existing Funding Arrangements for Flood and Coastal Defence
(recommendations f, g and h)
Constraints on Flood and Coastal Defence Projects of Current
Funding Procedures (recommendation i)
11. A consultation paper on a joint MAFF/DETR review
of flood and coastal defence funding mechanisms was issued in
April 1999. In addition to inviting comments on the current funding
arrangements, the consultation paper also sought views on specific
issues such as the distinction between the funding of capital
and maintenance works, central funding and ring fencing. The responses
were somewhat disparate and initial consideration of the options
arising was put in hand by both Departments.
12. However, following the Spending Review 2000, the
Government decided that a wider and more fundamental review of
funding should take place, for completion by September 2001. This
will embrace the review of funding mechanisms but go wider to
consider issues such as the distribution of the burden of financing
of flood and coastal defence, investment priorities and administrative
arrangements.
13. The Government continues to work with the Environment
Agency on the development of a possible block grant payment to
the Agency to support the capital programme.
Project Appraisal Guidance Note (PAGN) (recommendation j)
14. MAFF committed itself to issue a significantly expanded
and updated suite of Project Appraisal Guidance as follows:
— FCDE PAG 2-Strategic Planning and Appraisal;
— FCDE PAG 3-Economic Assessment;
— FCDE PAG 4-Approaches to Risk;
— FCDE PAG 5-Environmental Appraisal; and
— FCDE PAG 6-Post Project Appraisal.
15. Volumes 3, 4 and 5 have been issued. Volumes 1 and
2 are just completing their consultation phase with publication
expected early next year, at which time we will begin the process
of writing Volume 6.
16. The Government response to this recommendation referred
to the Priority Scoring system that MAFF had introduced in 1997,
on a pilot basis, as a means of optimising the allocation of available
funds for flood and coastal defence. MAFF is about to initiate
a review of this system.
Rationalisation of Legislative Base of Flood and Coastal Defence
Policy (recommendation k)
17. The Government's undertaking to consider with the
Environment Agency and other operating authorities how best to
encourage and build on best practice has been addressed through
the High Level Targets. In producing publicly available policy
statements, all operating authorities will be required to show
how best practice will be adopted and shared.
Improving the Delivery of National Strategy for Flood and Coastal
Defence (recommendations l, m, n, o and p)
18. The introduction of High Level Targets, and the accompanying
Elaboration of the Environment Agency's Supervisory Duty, is a
significant step forward in the Government's response to these
recommendations. The targets were developed through consensus
and in consultation with representatives of all of the flood defence
operating authorities and will be regularly reviewed. Information
on achievement of targets will be published. Other issues such
as the composition of Regional Flood Defence Committees and Central
Government funding will be addressed through the funding review
referred to above.
19. At present the Environment Act 1995 effectively restricts
the number of regional flood defence committees (RFDCs) to ten.
This would inhibit a future decision to move to a single tier
of RFDCs, by abolishing local flood defence committees (LFDCs),
as some of the present regions are probably too large to be managed
by a single RFDC with no supporting LFDCs. To address this, it
is intended that the proposed Water Bill, upon which DETR have
recently initiated consultation, will include a provision to allow
additional RFDCs to be created.
Improving Co-ordination between Competent Agencies in the Coastal
Zone (recommendations q, r and s)
20. The High Level Targets require the relevant operating
authorities to complete the strategy plans necessary to implement
Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) and also update SMPs in accordance
with MAFF guidance (a revised guidance note is currently out for
consultation and planned for issue early in 2001). There are also
targets relating to Coastal Habitat Management Plans and on development
in areas at risk of coastal erosion.
Integrating Flood Defence Requirements within the Planning
System (recommendation t)
Financial Obligations on Private Developers (recommendation
u)
21. In consultation with MAFF and the Environment Agency,
DETR issued a consultation draft of new and strengthened guidance
to local planning authorities on development in the floodplain
(to replace Circular 30/92 "Development and Flood Risk").
This stresses the need for LPAs to move towards a risk based approach
to such proposed development and to take account of the likely
impacts of climate change. The guidance also addresses the issue
of contributions from developers proposing to build in the flood
plain. Following comments received, this draft has been further
developed and DETR plan to issue it shortly.
22. The Committee will be aware that the Environment,
Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee has announced
that they are undertaking a short inquiry into development on
or affecting the flood plain, with oral evidence from the Minister
for Housing and Planning on Wednesday 22 November 2000.
Dissemination of Information to the Public and Acceptance of
Flood and Erosion Risk (recommendation v)
Availability of Flood Risk Information (recommendation gg)
23. In line with its Action Plan for implementing the
Bye Report, the Environment Agency has completed the mapping of
indicative floodplains for all watercourses with a catchment greater
than 10 square kilometres in England and Wales. The maps have
been delivered to all Local Authorities for use in their development
control and emergency planning functions.
Water Level Management Plans (WLMPs) (recommendation aa)
24. MAFF issued further guidance to facilitate Plan completion
in 1999. The High Level Targets required relevant operating authorities,
in partnership with English Nature, to complete WLMPs in European
sites by March 2000 and in other SSSIs by December 2000. Additional
targets provide for the implementation and review of WLMPs and
for reporting to MAFF on progress.
Habitat Conservation and Recreation (recommendation dd)
25. The policy statements required by the High Level
Targets are intended to set out the arrangements that the operating
authorities have in place to protect and enhance the environment
when carrying out flood defence works. Specific targets for reporting
progress on Biodiversity and Coastal Habitat Management Plans
are also in place.
Environment Agency's Flood Defence Priorities (reommendation
ff)
26. The Government continues to regard flood warning
as the highest priority in flood and coastal defence. The Agency
initiated a number of measures following the Easter 1998 floods
including completion of a review of the Flood Warning Strategy
for England and Wales and the setting up of a new National Flood
Warning Centre to help ensure a more uniform approach to flood
forecasting warning and response. MAFF has offered financial support
to a number of projects for improving telemetry, better public
awareness campaigns and enhanced flood warning systems. These
measures, and more, are contained in the Agency's 10 year, £106
million programme to improve flood forecasting and warning arrangements.
Flood Warning Dissemination (recommendation ii)
27. The Environment Agency has developed a Communications
Strategy which sets out the approach to raising public awareness
and understanding of flood risk, flood defence and the flood warning
service. An initial public awareness campaign, part funded by
MAFF, was completed in October 1999. This was further developed
with another campaign in September 2000, a key feature of which
was the introduction of new flood warning codes to replace the
previous colour coded warnings. These codes (Flood Watch, Flood
Warning and Severe Flood Warning) rapidly became familiar to the
public in the Autumn 2000 floods.
PART 2
28. The Government has nothing to add to its initial
response to the following recommendations:
— human intervention in flooding and erosion
processes (recommendation a);
— the changed policy context for flood and coastal
defence (recommendations c and d);
— long term adaptive policies at the coast and
inland (recommendations w and x);
— departmental responsibility for flood and coastal
defence (recommendation y);
— fulfilling the Government's national strategic
aim for flood and coastal defence (recommendation z);
— rewarding individual action benefiting the
community (recommendation bb);
— accelerating the implementation of soft engineered
approaches to flood and coastal defence (recommendation cc);
— difficulties in predicting floods (recommendation
ee);
— MAFF flood disaster contingency fund (recommendation
hh).
17 November 2000
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