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24 Feb 2009 : Column 564W—continued
Before the Floodline Warnings Direct (FWD) system became operational in January 2006, flood warnings were sent out locally by Environment Agency offices. Information prior to 2006 is therefore not held centrally and cannot be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.
Flood warning information is organised into operational areas based on water management catchments. The information above has therefore been organised by Environment Agency region.
The numbers of flood warnings are dependent on the weather and the number of sites where warnings are issued. The Environment Agency is constantly adding new areas where a flood warning service is provided.
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made in implementing the flood defence schemes brought forward under spending announced in the Pre-Budget Report. [256353]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The flood risk management schemes brought forward are in development and due to start from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010. They will be completed over a number of years.
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department calculated that 27,000 homes will receive protection from bringing forward spending on flood defences as part of the measures announced in the Pre-Budget Report. [256354]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The protection of an additional 27,405 homes through the accelerated programme is based on detailed local mapping and flood modelling.
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his latest estimate is of the number of posts in flood risk management in local authorities which are (a) filled and (b) vacant. [256357]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The information on vacancies in flood risk management within local authorities is not held centrally. This is because local authorities are independent autonomous bodies responsible for decisions on pay and work force issues.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to amend his Department's policy in flood management expenditure areas where provision has been made in the past for land drainage and agriculture benefits. [257028]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My Department has no plans to amend policy for flood management expenditure which is specific to areas where provision has been made in the past for land drainage and agriculture benefits.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding has been allocated by his Department to implementing the recommendations of Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the summer 2007 floods. [257448]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Annex B of the Government’s response to Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the summer 2007 floods contains a complete breakdown of funding. The document can be viewed at:
Flood Control: Finance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons (a) the right for regional flood defence committees to decide spending priorities will be replaced by a national Government block grant which will decide which area is to receive funding for flood defence and (b) the Environment Agency will decide nationally where such money is spent and which defences are of strategic priority. [257029]
Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA makes a national allocation of Flood Defence Grant in Aid, which the Environment Agency is then responsible for allocating to each of its Regional Flood Defence Committees.
The allocation of funding is done on a national basis to ensure consistency and so that the available funding is used most effectively. Capital schemes are prioritised based on the practical consequences that will result from the flood defence measures they provide.
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on flood risk management plans (a) in each year since 1997 and (b) in 2008-09 to date; and how much was budgeted for such expenditure in each period. [257664]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government are committed to effective management of flood and coastal erosion risk and some £4.5 billion has been invested across England in total since 1996-97.
Spending across central and local government has increased from £307 million in 1996-97 to some £650 million this year and will increase to a total of £2.15 billion over the three years of the Spending Review.
The following table shows past and expected future expenditure on flooding and coastal erosion risk management.
Figures for 1996-07 to 2007-08 are actual figures based on outturns; figures for 2008-09 onwards are budgets or estimates.
| £ million | ||
| Financial year | DEFRA funding | LA funding |
| (1) Expenditure following the 2007 floods may explain why local authority spending was considerably higher in 2007-08 than in previous years. The figures for future local authority expenditure are as previously forecast, although it is for local authorities to decide how much to spend on flood risk management as budgets are not ring-fenced for the purpose. (2) As announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report, £20 million has been brought forward from 2010-11 into 2009-10 as part of the fiscal stimulation package. This reduces the 2010-11 budget from £804 million to £784 million, with 2009-10 increasing from £700 million to £720 million. | ||
From 2004-05 the money previously given to LAs for expenditure on flood risk management was largely brought together to form a central grant to the Environment Agency.
DEFRA flood and coastal erosion risk management budgets for the current year are on track and as forecast, subject to the recent bad weather.
Figures on budgeted expenditure for each year from 1996-97 are not available without disproportionate cost.
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs over what period he expects funds allocated for response measures following the Pitt report on flooding to be spent. [257665]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) on 13 January 2009, Official Report, column 600W.
Floods
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has any plans to establish a single telephone number for use by the public to report incidents of flooding and related concerns. [258040]
Huw Irranca-Davies
[holding answer 23 February 2009]: The Environment Agency operates a 24-hour freephone incident hotline service for the reporting of all environmental
incidents including flooding. In addition the Environment Agency’s Floodline service operates a 24-hour helpline providing information and general advice on flooding.
Floods: Canvey Island
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2009, Official Report, column 326W, on floods: Canvey Island, what representations the Environment Agency has received from (a) local authorities and (b) others on controls on development in flood risk areas of Canvey Island in the last three years; what discussions it has had on the matter in that period. [256402]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has had several meetings with Castlepoint district council in the last three years to discuss development on Canvey Island and explain the implications of planning policy statement 25 “Development and Flood Risk”. The Environment Agency has sought safe development and advised Castlepoint district council and individual developers to take into account the potential impact of flooding on new development.
Landfill
Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects current landfill sites in each region of England to be full. [257482]
Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency estimated the remaining capacity at existing non-hazardous landfill sites in England at the end of 2007 as follows:
| Region | Remaining capacity in years( 1) |
| (1)Figures are in base 10 |
Landfill: EC Law
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what progress has been made in implementing the EU Landfill Directive; and if he will make a statement; [251690]
(2) what progress he has made on implementation of (a) the EU Landfill Directive and (b) the EU Packaging Directive; and if he will make a statement. [253202]
Jane Kennedy: The requirements of the Landfill Directive are now contained in the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. These requirements have been progressively implemented, with the final measure being introduced in October 2007.
Separately from this the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 implements Article 5(2) of the Landfill Directive, which requires member states to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill.
The UK has fully implemented the requirements of the EU packaging directive via the producer responsibility obligations (packaging waste) regulations and the essential requirements regulations.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the Minister for Farming and the Environment to reply substantively to the letter of 14 October 2008 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on water rate charges for scout groups. [256808]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 12 February 2009]: I am very aware of the affordability issues faced by some customers, such as scout groups, following the switch to site area charging for surface water drainage by some companies.
Our view is that while the basic polluter pays principle of the guidance is correct, something is clearly very wrong if faith buildings, community amateur sports clubs and scout huts are facing such big increases in their bills, and where there are such marked variations between what is being charged in different areas, by different companies.
Under the powers enshrined in the Water Industry Act 1999, in 2000 the Government issued statutory guidance to Ofwat on water charging policy. Ofwat’s subsequent and more detailed guidance to companies on surface water drainage charging was issued in 2003. Both of these documents addressed the issues surrounding the scale and pace of surface water bill changes for non-domestic, non-business customers and the need for charges to be based only upon the actual area within a property that drains to the public sewer.
We understand that the highest price increases are occurring in the United Utilities area, and that United Utilities now proposes to set its surface water drainage charges for 2009-10 at 2007-08 levels for customers such as faith buildings, community amateur sports clubs and scout huts (i.e. at levels prior to the introduction of site area charging). This is a very welcome step forward although we will continue to monitor this issue and engage further with Ofwat if necessary.
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when a reply will be sent to the letter from the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire of 15 August 2008 on water drainage charges for non-profit organisations. [257959]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 23 February 2009]: A reply was sent to the right hon. Member on 16 February 2009.
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