Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that internal drainage boards are fully funded for their role in preventing flooding and water management.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government supports and values the vital work internal drainage boards (IDBs) undertake in managing water levels and reducing flood risk, benefitting communities, businesses and farmers.

IDBs are mainly locally funded by the beneficiaries of their work, farmers paying drainage rates and local authorities paying special levies.

The Government’s £91m IDB Fund is supporting greater flood resilience for farmers and rural communities. IDBs are delivering projects that are already benefiting over 400,000 hectares of farmland and over 200,000 properties.

However, we recognise the need to ensure IDBs are set up in the longer term. In response to rising financial pressures on IDBs, and the farmers and local authorities who fund their work, Defra and MHCLG have commissioned a research project into IDB funding and costs. This is focussed on financial efficiency, value for money, and the broader benefits which IDBs deliver for local communities.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the White Paper for water, and when they plan to introduce legislation giving effect to the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government will respond to the recommendations in full via a White Paper, published later this year. The White Paper will outline the Government’s vision for the future of the water sector, marking the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation.

Following this there will be a new water reform bill, which we will introduce during this Parliament, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, and the environment.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat posed by motorists using ghost plates, and what steps they plan to take to deal with the threat posed by the use of ghost plates to evade speed cameras and engage in other criminal activities.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned and “ghost” number plates. It is already illegal to use a vehicle displaying cloned or “ghost” number plates.

The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced. The Police are operationally independent and they will investigate each case according to its individual merits.

The Government has pledged £2.7m for each of the next three years to support police enforcement activity. This is Operation Topaz which is a strategic partnership between the Department for Transport, Home Office and National Police Chiefs’ Council around roads policing.

Operation Topaz is helping to support and co-ordinate the existing effort that is already delivering the National Police Chiefs’ Council Roads Policing Strategy.

Funding has been allocated to enhance roads policing to deliver a proof-of-concept activity period, coordinated via the central Operation Topaz team, focused on unreadable number plates and all aspects connected to unattributable drivers or vehicles.

This Government takes road safety seriously. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences. We are considering concerns raised by campaigns, Parliamentarians and bereaved families that Ministers have met.

The Government intends to publish the Road Safety Strategy by the end of the year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure motorbikes observe speed limits and engine noise level limits, in particular on rural roads.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that 60% of road fatalities occurred on rural roads, according to the latest statistics. The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. More details will be set out in due course.

Local authorities are best placed to decide on delivery of road safety initiatives, because of their knowledge of the roads for which they are responsible. We aid local authorities by providing guidance and initiatives such as our flagship road safety campaign, THINK!

Strict noise regulations for motorbikes are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance through the process of type approval before being placed on the market. This involves testing the vehicle across a broad range of driving conditions. Replacement silencers that are to be used on the road must also meet strict noise limits that are aligned with those of the original vehicle.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce road traffic accidents, casualties and deaths in rural areas.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that 60% of road fatalities occurred on rural roads, according to the latest statistics. The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. More details will be set out in due course.

Local authorities are best placed to decide on delivery of road safety initiatives, because of their knowledge of the roads for which they are responsible. We aid local authorities by providing guidance and initiatives such as our flagship road safety campaign, THINK!

Strict noise regulations for motorbikes are harmonised at an international level and require vehicles to demonstrate compliance through the process of type approval before being placed on the market. This involves testing the vehicle across a broad range of driving conditions. Replacement silencers that are to be used on the road must also meet strict noise limits that are aligned with those of the original vehicle.