Upper Catchment Management

John McNally Excerpts

Wednesday 26th April 2017 Westminster Hall

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Paisley. I thank the hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) for securing this debate on a topic in which I think most of us are interested. I heard on Radio 4 this morning that climate change is only going to get worse. I do not know how far north other hon. Members go, but my north is certainly a wee bit further than theirs. I look forward to addressing a topic that is dear to everyone’s hearts.

The hon. Lady made a particularly interesting comment about the £49,000 a year that is required to fund research to help resolve a problem. By anybody’s standards, that is a pitiful amount to find. If that research would help to resolve a problem, the Government should, without any doubt whatever, be able to find that money.

[Rachael Maskell]

If the Government make that funding commitment, other people may come on board, so that figure could go down even further than £49,000 a year.

[John Mc Nally]

I appreciate the hon. Lady’s point. She is a vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on flood prevention, which I chair, and I am always impressed by her knowledge of and passion for her area and the wider field. I commend her for everything she does. As chair of the APPG, I had plans to visit some areas, but unfortunately a general election has come along in the middle of those plans. The hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Kevin Hollinrake) painted a picture of Pickering as a place of modern art, so if we are both re-elected, I will take the opportunity to visit that area, too.

Flooding is the UK’s predominant natural hazard, and a significant increase in properties at risk is projected in the years to come. As we all know, flooding is rarely good business. For small and medium-sized enterprises, it is sometimes a matter of survival. I learned that all too well as a councillor in Falkirk. When the River Carron is in spate, it is the second fastest flowing river in Scotland and, I assume, in the UK. During that time, I found myself helping people and businesses affected by flash flooding and saw first hand the disruption that was caused to traffic and the community.

Getting involved in finding a solution opened my eyes to the value of preventive measures. There is no doubt that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Mitigation measures such as weirs, widening and increasing the height of bridges, and some hard defences are all needed, and mostly they are planned under the area’s flood risk management strategy. We also introduced fish ladders and a mini-hydro project, which are starting to bring additional benefits to the community. To emphasise what the hon. Member for York Central said, once one person is brought in, that seems to attract another. Groups follow, and are motivated by other people’s initiatives, including the one I am describing.

As chair of the all-party group on flood prevention and a member of the EAC, I took it upon myself recently to visit various areas—Tadcaster, Leeds, Ballater, Newton Stewart and Hoy—and began to put together, to present to the Minister, the evidence about small and medium-sized enterprises and how they are affected. I understand that a lot of good work has been done in Calder Valley. The community is extremely resilient, but there is still a continuing problem for small and medium-sized enterprises. I believe that insurance brokers there formed their own insurance funding, to help to cover such enterprises that could no longer afford to insure their businesses and properties, or, indeed, the excess amounts given to them.

I have heard people identify the need for better catchment level co-ordination between the bodies responsible for flood management in England and I have had an insight, from seeing and hearing things at first hand, into the willingness of communities to take part in flood risk management; but I have also heard their frustration, and I have heard about the reluctance of the Environment Agency, local authorities and other agencies to work with those local groups.

A water body’s catchment is the entire geographical area drained by that water body and its tributaries. Since the system is all connected, flood risk in a given part of the catchment area will be heavily influenced by what is happening above it in the catchment. Traditional flood management has focused on building hard defences and of course, as I have said, they are needed; but upper catchment management treats the catchment area as a single system, and it is vital to use natural flood management measures to slow the flow of water towards vulnerable areas. The approaches complement each other. Slowing the flow of water decreases pressures on hard defences and, most importantly, reduces the maintenance costs and the risk of failure of those already established flood defences.

Natural flood management has already been a lifeline for communities such as Pickering in Yorkshire that are too small for hard defences to be cost-effective. Such measures can have additional benefits, as has been said—trapping sediment and agricultural pollution and providing human amenities such as parklands and habitats for wildlife, including game.

The use of natural flood management at catchment scale is still in its infancy, and measuring the effects of a given flood management measure across something as hydrologically complex as a large catchment is difficult. I am certain that that fact is realised by those employed in the industry. There are risks as well as opportunities. As far as I know there is no conclusive evidence that natural flood management can be used at a catchment scale to reduce flood risk.

[Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)]

The hon. Gentleman is making an important point; does he agree that while hard flood defences are important we must remember that that is only moving the problem further downstream? A number of villages in my constituency, such as Acaster Malbis and Naburn, south of York, support the flood defences in York; but ultimately those only move the water downstream and move the problem elsewhere. That is why upper catchment is so important, and it is why we must look at the whole. That has been well illustrated by my hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Kevin Hollinrake).

[John Mc Nally]

I could not agree more. It is a great example of how water does not know anything; it just goes where it has to go and there is no doubt that we need to think about how to manage the problem.

As I have said, there is no conclusive evidence that natural flood management can be used at catchment scale to reduce flood risk; if water storage capacity is added in the wrong place it, too, can increase rather than decrease the risk of flooding, so it must be considered very carefully. That is all the more reason for proper research and funding. There is a pressing need for research and projects—I know that there are projects under way around the country—but we must be careful that that is not used as an excuse for inaction. Natural flood management options have already been shown to be cost-effective management tools for managing localised flood risk in pilot projects such as the one carried out in Pickering, but even in the absence of catchment-scale flood risk reductions, it would make sense to identify areas where there is an opportunity to use NFM on a smaller scale, or where it might itself increase flood risk.

Catchment-level maps of natural flood management opportunities and risks are maintained in Scotland as part of the indicative flood maps provided by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. As far as I am aware, in England, opportunities for natural flood management have been mapped only for a few catchment areas in Yorkshire and Cumbria. The Environment Agency has produced detailed maps of England showing where there is potential to restore different types of wetland, but not where that might impact on flood risk, which is an important point to remember.

[Rachael Maskell]

The hon. Gentleman makes a good point about the mapping that the Environment Agency has carried out. It is incredibly frustrated that it cannot get on with putting the schemes in place and with getting the research to show the best mechanisms for slowing the flow. Does that not make a further point about another agency that would benefit from the research by the University of York?

[John Mc Nally]

Once again, I agree with the hon. Lady. At the last APPG meeting, we could hear that there is an urgency for all people to work together. One of the points emerging, every time we go to a place, is that no one seems able to take a lead. Everyone is waiting on someone else to do it. It is not a lot of money in the scale of things, and it will cost an awful lot more not to do it than to do it—so I absolutely, totally agree.

We also hear the argument that NFM might not provide protection against the most extreme rainfall events. Those arguments do not seem to take it into account that by taking pressure off hard defences downstream, NFM could decrease the risk that those defences might fail, and reduce their maintenance costs.

The cost of installing and maintaining the measures is very low compared with traditional flood defences. Most use natural materials obtained on site and are easily implemented by landowners or volunteers. If anyone takes some time to look at work that has been carried out, they would be impressed by how little it takes to make these things happen.

For example, in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the local authority designed and implemented a NFM scheme that was credited with sparing the town from flooding in March 2016. The total cost so far has been circa £215,000. Previous flooding in 2007 affected 200 properties. A reservoir built in 2011 to enhance the protection of 350 properties in Gloucester cost £1.5 million. I think that makes the point clearly.

The Government announced in the autumn statement that they will invest £15 million in natural flood management in England, yet they are evasive about its allocation. Thanks to investigations undertaken by Friends of the Earth, we know that before the announcement was made, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was commissioned by the EA to draw up plans for £20 million worth of NFM projects. When pressed about its allocation, the then Secretary of State would only say that the money would be used to test the methods. Given that large studies into the effectiveness of NFM are already under way, it seems to me that the Government need to give communities in flood-prone areas assurance that the money will be spent on implementing NFM, rather than on projects for consultants.

We have probably all heard of the Chinese saying that the best time to plant a tree is 25 years ago, and the second best time is today. Flood Re will run for roughly another 23 years. Either we implement a programme of action, or many of the 350,000 properties eligible for Flood Re will become uninsurable. Given the time that trees and wetlands need to become established, the implementation of upper catchment management has to be made a priority if it is to play a role in meeting that need. I urge the Minister to act urgently.

Air Quality Strategy

John McNally Excerpts

Monday 24th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Andrea Leadsom]

My hon. Friend is, of course, exactly right. We have now been working on this specific plan for several years. We published a consultation for clean air zones in 2015. The fact that emissions from diesel vehicles have far exceeded what was expected has been extremely difficult. The EU regulatory regime did not show effectively what the real levels of emissions were, and this Government have pushed for improvements to the assessment. We have been planning the draft air quality plan for a consideration length of time, and we will publish it just as soon as we can.

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

I thank the hon. Member for Workington (Sue Hayman) for securing this urgent question on the Government’s air quality strategy. I agree with her concerns entirely.

This is not a political issue. All our constituents need to breathe, and they want an air quality plan based on good scientific evidence to ensure that people no longer have to breathe toxic air in their communities. The Government have had a five-month window to address illegal air quality in relation to the strategy. Does the Secretary of State agree that hiding behind a general election cannot be an excuse for failing to address what is, as she has just mentioned, a vital health issue? She has said that it is “vital” to get this through, so why the delay?

[Andrea Leadsom]

I can only repeat that I absolutely agree with Members that this is a vital issue. We have spent the past five months looking very carefully at the real world, as well as laboratory tests, to find out actual emissions so that we have the right consultation. We do not expect any delay due to propriety rules to lead to a delay in implementation. We are seeking a very short delay to preserve our democracy, in accordance with guidance from the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team.

Flood Defence Projects: South-west

John McNally Excerpts

Tuesday 7th February 2017 Westminster Hall

[Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger (Bridgwater and West Somerset) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered management of flood defence projects in the South West.

I am delighted to be working under your chairmanship, Mr Pritchard. I thank the Minister for responding to two debates in a row—seagulls and flooding. There is a sort of synonymy to that. I am grateful for this debate. It is a short one, and I know that my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Sir Hugo Swire) wishes to contribute.

Three years ago, almost to the day, I stood in the Somerset levels in waders, in floodwater, fighting for Government action. We witnessed the most appalling and predictable natural calamity when rain began to fall. It was a relentless season of downpours, and many of my constituents were stranded and made homeless as the riverbanks burst.

My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces is present, and I would like to let the Chamber know that at this precise moment there are three battalions in England, one in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland on stand-by for flooding. This is a critical time to have those people, and I am thankful for the work they did last weekend. The work they did in my patch was absolutely phenomenal. I know that they are ready to go.

Returning to what happened in my constituency, some of the sewers gave way and the landscape began to vanish under a feisty, filthy water. At the time, I was very critical of the Environment Agency and its then chairman, Lord Smith. I described him in a couple of TV interviews as a coward for failing to visit the stricken area. When asked what I would do if he turned up, I replied that I was tempted—and I was—to flush his head down the nearest water closet. Forgive my straightforward turn of phrase; they were tense and difficult times as 17 miles of my constituency had become an inland lake. Lives had been ruined. Tempers were at breaking point.

All that is happily behind us, but there is a saying about things destined for the water closet: Lord Smith may have been flushed out of the Environment Agency, but he remains afloat as provost of a Cambridge college and chairman of the Task Force on Shale Gas. How apt and rather sardonic. The good news is that the Environment Agency is in much safer hands these days and plays a far more proactive and constructive role in protecting us from the ravages of flooding. For that, the Government deserve a great deal of credit, and I thank them.

The Minister represents a constituency with flooding challenges of its own, so she fully understands the subject from personal experience. Because of her hard work and the efforts of her predecessors, Bridgwater and West Somerset can now breathe much more easily whenever we hear raindrops.

After the crisis of 2013-14, a new era of flood defence was born, with the creation of the Somerset Rivers Authority. The idea was simple and sensible: take back control of flood defences from the centralised Environment Agency and base it locally with people who live and work in the area. The agency would use its technical skills to get the job done and the authority would set out the important tasks to be tackled. There were big battles to be fought, of course. There had to be muscle to ensure that the then Prime Minister came up with enough money to pay the large sum we wanted for the initial remedial work, but, with determined arm-twisting, David Cameron delivered. At this point, I must pay tribute to the Minister for her efforts in pushing forward the legislation to secure the SRA future funding. We are all very grateful.

Now I would like to reveal one or two skeletons, unfortunately. It has not been easy getting the SRA set up and running. The authority was designed to bring together all the experts from the old river drainage boards and Somerset’s local authorities. The Government provided starter money, but the deal demanded local authority contributions too, some of which were easier to obtain than others. Without doubt, the worst offender was Taunton Deane Borough Council—my neighbour.

When it comes to alleviating flooding, Taunton Deane could not be called a big spender. The local authority has failed to deal properly with flood risks in Taunton over many years. It skimps. It calls for consultants’ reports. It sits on the results. But when the waters rise in Taunton the rivers burst in my constituency, not in that of Taunton Deane. The River Tone snakes its way right past the centre of Taunton and ends up joining the overworked River Parrett down in the middle of the Somerset levels, as the Minister is aware. That is where the worst flooding happened three years ago. Since then, the neighbouring Sedgemoor District Council has worked tirelessly, along with the Government, to get the important parts of the River Parrett properly dredged—grateful thanks again. Much of that great and important job has been done, but it is absolutely pointless if your next-door neighbour leans on his shovel and does next to nothing. I am sorry to report that that is precisely what has been happening in Taunton for almost 60 years—it ain’t new.

I hope that the House will forgive me for offering some of the background to this sad state of affairs. Records of flooding in Taunton go back to the late 19th century. Since then, we have been seriously flooded in 1929, 1960, 1968 and 2000, and, of course, more recently. Without a shadow of a doubt, the worst incident was in 1960 when, as the river overflowed, 500 properties in the town were washed out. Some parts of the town were 3 feet underwater. It was a soggy mess. Plans for a relief channel were suggested after that. The old Bridgwater to Taunton canal could have been used, which, in engineering terms, made perfect sense, but the estimated £1.7 million cost was considered prohibitive. So the cheap option was chosen, and the riverbanks were upgraded just a bit, but by the early 1990s it was obvious that more needed doing. The banks had to be built up again, and this time a guarantee was given to safeguard everyone for 200 years.

Rule one: never take a guarantee at face value. Barely a decade later, the River Tone flooded the town, and there have been more recent floods in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013. That gives Members the general idea: too little, too late, too cheap. It is the same old Taunton story repeated time after time.

Today, just as for the past eight years, Taunton Deane is led by Councillor John Williams, a builder with an extravagant plan for the future. By now, I think he probably believes he can walk on water and, if he is not too careful, pretty soon he will have to do just that. Mr Williams wants to grow Taunton by building. His dream is to put up 17,000 new houses by 2028. That is unbelievable growth, higher by a margin of 70% than the average Government prediction for new houses anywhere. It is absolutely impossible. Last year, with the help of Mr Williams’s mates in the local building trade—firms such as Summerfield, which seems to own an awful lot of land around there—Taunton Deane Borough Council presided over the construction of just 883 new houses, and that was a record then. If the council carries on at that rate, by the end of 2028 it will be way short of the insane target of 17,000 houses.

But, say what you like about Councillor Williams—a lot of people do—he is nothing if not determined. His absurd new building target was set in 2010 and he is sticking to it. There is a faint chance, and I sincerely hope it is a faint chance, that he might even get the Government to put in money to help him on his way. Mr Williams has tarted up his plans and submitted a bid for Taunton to build a new garden town. What his glossy documentation fails to point out, however, is that all this manic building will take place on some of the wettest and flood-prone land in the United Kingdom. The much-trumpeted Taunton garden town could well turn out to be tomorrow’s Atlantis. The builders might need aqua-lungs and flippers. Does Summerfield employ frogmen? Perhaps Wrencon—Councillor Williams’s personal building firm—does.

Those who follow parliamentary affairs will know that I take a dim view of some of Mr Williams’s activities. It is wrong for any elected councillor to accept a private building contract on his own patch without declaring it, but Taunton Deane has no rules about that. Even the council leader is immune. That is not just strange; it is downright wrong. It undermines the confidence we deserve to have in local government leaders at any level. No wonder people in Taunton have become highly suspicious of this leader and his empire-building plans.

Before I came to Westminster Hall this afternoon, I took a hard look at the Environment Agency’s flood maps for the Taunton area, and I ask the Minister to do the same. The blue bits represent risk, and the blue bits are almost everywhere. I have also read detailed reports compiled by flood experts on behalf of Taunton Deane. They do not go as far as to say, “Stop before it’s too late,” but they never minimise the threat and they urge absolute caution unless flood defences are radically improved. Let me quote from one of the latest reports, completed in 2014:

“The town centre and many existing properties rely heavily on the degree of protection resulting from the existing flood defence embankments and structures. The condition of these… is very variable, many will need to be replaced… None of the defences will provide an appropriate standard of protection… and they do not include a ‘safety margin’… which is essential… where so much property and business could be affected by small changes in the predicted flood water levels.”

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

As chair of the all-party group on flood prevention, I am undertaking a routine check on all areas throughout the United Kingdom. I started in Tadcaster last week, and I hope to complete some areas over the next five or six weeks. Is the hon. Gentleman minded to allow me to visit his area to gather some information?

[Mr Liddell-Grainger]

I would welcome the hon. Gentleman. The Minister has been down to look not just at the flooding, but at Hinkley Point nuclear power station—she has Sizewell. My right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon is one of my near neighbours and we welcome anyone coming to look at the flooding. It was a disaster for us all. The Minister’s Parliamentary Private Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for South East Cornwall (Mrs Murray), is a Cornish MP and therefore knows how much flooding affects our area. I would welcome the hon. Gentleman and personally host him.

I will continue as I have a little bit to go and I know that my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon wishes to have his say. This is what the flood experts had to say on Councillor Williams’ building bonanza:

“The proposed new development in the town centre and other sites will increase the volume of water discharging to the Levels and Moors”.

That was the clearest warning that Taunton’s building bonanza could spark floods next door. The report said that

“doing nothing is no answer”.

The only way to tackle the issue is with a new water storage facility costing around £15 million, but will it ever happen? I checked the National Rivers Authority programme for the coming year and there was no mention of it. Apart from some maintenance on French weir in the centre of town, Taunton is not scheduled to do any serious flood defence work in the foreseeable future, yet the council leader is boasting that he has the money in next year’s budget to deal with floods. How much? Slightly less than £2 million. That does not make sense. It is not enough.

Once again, Taunton is cutting corners, and it is not using its own cash either. Councillor Williams intends to spend the new homes bonus, which is a grant he gets from central Government, as the Minister is well aware. It is sleight of hand—trickery—and it is cheating the public. Everyone knows that flood prevention costs serious money. We know that. Everyone knows that budgets are tight. That is agreed. Everyone would understand if Taunton simply could not pay, but the council is prepared to spend money like water on totally pointless things.

Last night, the council voted to borrow millions of pounds—you are not going to believe this, Mr Pritchard—to refurbish its office. The Deane House is the council’s headquarters and it is 30 years old. The council would get about £2.5 million if it sold the place. Its advisers said it was not worth a penny, but Councillor Williams, the jobbing builder, intends to fork out £11 million to do it up. For that kind of cash, looking across the Atlantic, he could install gold lifts, marble walls and champagne fountains. Eat your heart out, President Trump; look what President Williams has got! A short step down the street is Somerset County Council’s headquarters, which the Minister knows. Taunton could have moved there to a brand new office for a fraction of the cost. It was offered a building. Does that sound like a good idea? I know a man who thinks so:

“If Taunton Deane moves to County Hall the Council will form part of a gathering of other public sector services, to create a one-stop shop for our community.”

The writer is none other than the leader of the council: John Raymond Williams, to use his full name. The words are on Taunton Deane Borough Council’s own website, but like the author, they are slightly out of date.

The reputation of any council depends on leadership and management. I do not have to tell anyone here that. Taunton Deane has a leader with bizarre territorial ambitions. He is trying to swallow up West Somerset Council, in my patch. He has an absentee chief executive with the worst sickness record of any local government officer in the whole of England. I am sorry to say that I would not trust either of them to run anything. Least of all, I cannot and will not trust them to look after the flood prevention measures that affect my constituency so badly.

Global Biodiversity

John McNally Excerpts

Tuesday 1st November 2016 Westminster Hall

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Evans. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Meriden (Dame Caroline Spelman) on securing the debate on global biodiversity today.

The report laid before us by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society paints a bleak picture of wholesale ecocide on a scale unseen for aeons. Faced with such catastrophe, it would be easy to retreat into complacency and mourn while the web of life unravels. An article on the rapid decline in species in last Thursday’s Times on 27 October was very interesting. It stated:

“Human activity is driving many of the planet’s species dangerously close to extinction.”

It is predicted that

“Global vertebrate populations...are likely to have declined by an average of 67 per cent on their 1970 levels by 2020.”

This is the here and now, and yet this does not have to be the case.

One of my favourite quotes comes from the great American politician and civil rights activist, Harvey Milk. He once said,

“If you want to change the world, start in your own neighbourhood.”

As a “neighbourhood”, Scotland possesses a natural environment that retains some of its richness and diversity even after centuries of degradation. Scotland’s Government recognise that the importance of biodiversity goes far beyond majestic wildlife and bonnie glens. Carbon sequestration, the health of pollinator populations, water purity, which has been mentioned, and human health and wellbeing are just a few of the things that are dependent on resilient, diverse ecosystems. In recognition of the essential role that biodiversity will play in ensuring Scotland’s future sustainability and success, the Scottish Government are committed to placing it at the heart of their economic strategy. All Governments should do that. The fruits of these efforts have already started to show.

In 2010, Scotland’s biodiversity assessment concluded that biodiversity loss had slowed where targeted action had been applied, but that halting it would require renewed and sustained effort over a long period. In 2013, a route map was published, which set out the actions necessary for the country to meet the challenges set by the UN convention on biological diversity’s targets for 2020: the so-called Aichi targets—I hope I have pronounced that correctly.

For example, target 11 aims to have at least 17% of freshwater bodies and 10% of coastal and marine areas under protection by 2020. Target 15 aims to enhance ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks through the conservation and restoration of at least 15% of degraded ecosystems. Its first progress report, published in 2015, shows that we are starting to turn this juggernaut around: 16% of our seas are now part of our marine-protected area network, exceeding the 10% stipulated by the UN. We are restoring twice the area of peatland that is required of us and exceeding our required area of protected land and fresh water. There are still actions that need to progress faster, but we can take heart from the fact that although in the second half of 2015 there were still some areas that showed no progress, or even a continued decline, progress was made on all of our actions in the first half of 2016.

Driving the strategy is the realisation that biodiversity loss is a problem that must be tackled at scales beyond the remit of a single area, organisation or even, as has been mentioned, Government. That realisation is as true here as it is in Scotland or anywhere else. Integrated, co-operative forms of management involving multiple Departments and other stakeholders are needed to form the backbone of actions and projects.

The natural world must no longer be seen as something desirable but expendable. The question “Can we afford that?” has an ecological answer that is at least as important as its financial and political answers. We face choices that will manifest in the near future. As individuals, we tend to be myopic; we prefer to deal with present outcomes at the expense, often, of future ones. That is a given. Our choice is to consider the long-term loss and decline of our wildlife, and decide on the best course of action to prevent the continuation of that decline.

To end on a somewhat brighter note, I will mention that, although the picture is bleak, there is still some ecological resilience left. The vast majority of species are not yet at the point of no return. If we act, we can reverse what is happening. If there is a concerted international effort, we can turn it around globally. Let us not create a global extinction event as our legacy.

Flood Insurance for Businesses

John McNally Excerpts

Monday 8th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Craig Whittaker]

I am not sure that that is the sole responsibility of the Government. I think that there needs to be a joint approach between the insurance industry and Government, but, again, I will come on to that during my speech.

Although the ABI said that it would not turn down any small business for flood insurance, I can tell Members that, having spoken to hundreds of businesses in the Calder Valley over the past few weeks, it has become apparent that many small businesses are experiencing difficulties in accessing flood insurance and that this uncertainty, coupled with the crippling costs that now face some businesses as a consequence of the floods, is jeopardising their future. Although I note the Minister’s response that the Government are not aware of any evidence of a systemic problem, I question the basis on which that conclusion has been reached.

Last July, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the report “Affordability and Availability of Flood Insurance: Findings from Research with Businesses”. A cursory look at the report might lead one to conclude that there is not a problem after all. The research found that uptake of insurance across businesses is high. The survey showed that the vast majority of small businesses arrange commercial insurance cover for their premises and that there is no significant difference between small businesses that are located in high flood-risk areas and those that are not.

However, a more detailed consideration of the report, particularly the basis on which the evidence has been collected, provides a different picture. The headline figures from the report come from a secondary source, a small business survey run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The DEFRA report acknowledges that the BIS survey data contain only small numbers of businesses located in high flood-risk areas. As such, one may legitimately question how valuable such data are when considering the issue of insurance for businesses in high-risk areas. The main focus of the DEFRA report was a series of in-depth interviews with businesses, and it is that component that forms the main evidence base. Only 25 businesses were interviewed, the majority of which were not in high flood-risk areas. The overwhelming majority were very small businesses, employing fewer than 10 people, and only one manufacturing business was included in the sample. My point is that the evidence base of the DEFRA report is not particularly credible and, as a consequence, the report is of limited value. If they are to appreciate the extent of this issue the Government and the Association of British Insurers need to speak to businesses in areas of high risk.

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

As the recently appointed chair of the all-party parliamentary group on flood prevention, I can tell the hon. Gentleman that we had discussions with the hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) on this on, I think, 26 January. It became apparent in the debate, which was interrupted several times so that we could vote in the Chamber, that there was a great divide on whether there was evidence to show that businesses had been affected. Does he agree that the APPG should visit the sites so that we can witness the problem and speak to the businesses that have been affected by flooding?

[Craig Whittaker]

Of course, we would always welcome the APPG in the Calder Valley. In fact, we welcome anyone who would like to come and have a look. Indeed, if it helps us to make progress in this area and others affected by flooding, the whole group is very welcome, and I will help to arrange for businesses to talk to it too.

To appreciate the true extent of the problem, the Government and the ABI need to speak to businesses in areas of high risk, including those located in communities that have experienced a high frequency of flooding in recent times such as the Calder Valley. Calderdale Council says that between 40% and 50% of businesses cannot access flood insurance in five of my six communities, while our local insurance broker in the upper Calder Valley tells me that 20% of his clients cannot access flood insurance—ironically, including himself. True to the spirit of people in the Calder Valley, he has a desk and a mobile phone set up in the middle of all the building works in what was his office, working to ensure that his clients are sorted out. After the floods he, along with other brokers from around the UK in high flood-risk areas, were invited to London to highlight cases to the ABI. The journey turned out to be an absolute farce, as the ABI refused to look at those cases, saying that it was not allowed to do so because of data protection. The ABI says that there is no evidence of businesses not being able to access flood insurance, and cites DEFRA’s own report, which I have highlighted, to say that there is no evidence.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Rory Stewart)]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley (Craig Whittaker) for a very quiet but very forensic speech that showed the deep care that he has for his constituency. I saw that directly myself when I walked through many of the businesses that he described. I saw how, in essence, a tidal wave had moved through a furniture factory, wiping out half a million pounds-worth of stock. I saw how a furniture warehouse was ruined and a community centre had been wiped out. I saw, as many hon. Members on both sides of the House have noted, the incredible impact that this has had on a very precious and beautiful area of our country and a historic community, and how intimately the subject of business insurance is connected to the livelihood and the longevity of these communities.

I will not get into a detailed discussion about the DEFRA survey, although I would point out that it is not quite as bad as it seems on paper. A total of 2,686 businesses were surveyed, but I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that the 25 on whom an in-depth survey was conducted was not a large enough number to be a decent sample. I strongly encourage the hon. Member for Falkirk (John Mc Nally) and his APPG to get involved in the detailed investigation of what is happening in business insurance in Calder Valley. The hon. Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham) raised that issue powerfully.

There are improvements that we can already make without looking at a flood re scheme. First, we need to make information far more accurate so that businesses in a flood-vulnerable zone are not being punished when they are not actually flooded. Secondly, as has been pointed out, we need to make sure that businesses are more resilient. We have access to good public information about that. There is a very good example of a business in Cockermouth that took the right measures and, as a result, was able to come back from the flooding in two days whereas previously it took four months.

In relation to business, the Government have a part to play in investment and infrastructure. We need to guarantee broadband connections; there was a problem in that regard at Tadcaster bridge. Electricity substations and roads must be left open, because that matters not just for communities but for businesses. We need to acknowledge that the insurance industry cannot be the complete answer. As the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Stuart Blair Donaldson) pointed out, it is important that there is an element of grant coming in. We have put a great deal of grant behind businesses—an average of £2,500 per business, but in some cases considerably more—because we acknowledge that the insurance industry does not produce all the answers. There is also the capital expenditure that we need to put into flood schemes in general.

My hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley focused, as did the hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell), specifically on whether there should be a Flood Re scheme. I am afraid that time will not allow me to answer this question in detail, but I will give some points to consider in looking at business insurance. First, setting up one of these schemes involves a very considerable cost to the dry. At the moment, within a Flood Re scheme, regardless of where someone is located—they could be on the edge of a river and flood every three years—they would be guaranteed that for a £250 premium, or the basic rate of council tax on a £250 excess, they would be insured. This would mean that businesses in dry areas would have to cover the cost of providing insurance in some of the cases that my hon. Friend raised. For example, if a business has indeed, as he said, flooded twice in four years at a cost of £500,000 to its stock each time, it will be difficult to provide insurance without some measure of cross-subsidy for businesses that are not in flood-affected areas.

The second problem is the complexity of flood insurance for businesses. It is much more straightforward for householders, who basically look to insure their buildings and contents. A business, on the other hand, has to look at how much cash it has in the bank, and how much it therefore wants to lower its premiums and self-insure against a higher excess. It has to look at whether it has high fixed structural assets and whether it wants to insure them. An internet company will not want to invest much in insuring the building that it is in, whereas for a farm, a property business or a restaurant, that fixed structural asset is absolutely essential to the continuity of its business.

The difference can be huge when it comes to business interruption insurance. For example, business interruption would be minimal for a company such as cheapflights.com, provided that its service was not located in the area affected. However, if the McVities biscuit factory in Carlisle were wiped out by a flood, the business interruption consequences would be catastrophic. That is why it is much more difficult to model business insurance than household insurance.

There is also, of course, the issue of moral hazard. We do not want to encourage businesses to locate themselves in flood-vulnerable zones if they have a high fixed structural asset cost. We want to keep those communities vibrant and alive, but we also want to do so in a way that makes sense.

Nevertheless, something must be done. The hon. Member for Halifax (Holly Lynch) has emphasised the importance of business insurance for retaining the communities for the sake of their history and the social costs involved. We therefore need to answer some questions. First, how much subsidy—because there will have to be an element of subsidy—do we wish to put into an individual valley? Secondly, as the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) has asked, what should the balance be between the Government element of the subsidy and that provided by the insurance industry for businesses in non-flood-affected areas?

Thirdly, should we consider a different insurance model? One possibility—we have not done this in flood insurance before—is to consider the approach taken by travel and medical insurance, which have a fixed indemnity. If the Government are to be involved, it might be reassuring for them to know that a property had a fixed indemnity of £20,000 or £50,000 attached to it, rather than what we have at the moment, which is an unlimited flood insurance liability.

That is why I am delighted to say that tomorrow I will host a round table with BIBA, ABI, the Federation of Small Businesses and a dozen other stakeholders, to talk through the concrete, detailed issues involved in providing serious insurance for businesses.

[John Mc Nally]

I have sent the Minister a letter inviting him to the next meeting of the all-party group on flood prevention, but he has not replied. It would be an opportune time for him to meet us after his other meeting.

[Rory Stewart]

I would be delighted to do that. I have 45 seconds left. I pay tribute to a wonderful speech by my hon. Friend the Member for Calder Valley. It was a serious forensic analysis that tore the DEFRA report to pieces, for which I am grateful and I will follow up on it. I also thank the other Members who have contributed to the debate, and I pay tribute to the extraordinary community in Calder Valley, including the community activists in Hebden Bridge, individual businesses and, indeed, the military on the streets for the work they did. Finally, I give a commitment to my hon. Friend and to the House that we will, through the round table and over the weeks ahead, look in full, relentlessly and vigorously, at the costs, both economic and social, involved in failing to provide adequate business insurance.

Question put and agreed to.

Protection of Ancient Woodland and Trees

John McNally Excerpts

Thursday 10th December 2015 Westminster Hall

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

I am delighted to support the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Rebecca Pow), who secured this debate on the protection of ancient woodlands and trees. We are all impressed with her passion for the countryside and rural and urban nature. She has raised my awareness of the ancient and veteran trees in my area: I had probably ignored it, but there are 65 ancient trees and 44% of my constituents live within 500 metres of ancient woodlands—I was not aware of that until I met the redoubtable Member.

I am fortunate to represent a constituency that has a great variety of accessible woodlands located close to its population centres. I will give a wee bit of background on my area and do as best I can—the hon. Lady is a difficult act to follow. The picturesque Callendar wood in Falkirk is at least 500 years old. The trees, woods and adjacent parkland were once the gardens and grounds of Callendar house, a family home for centuries. The wood probably evolved from a medieval hunting park, although there is also evidence of working forestry and coalmining. It is a complex, cultural woodland that is rich in archaeology and veteran trees. Through protection, it has become an island of archaeological preservation and biodiversity.

Torwood, also in my constituency, was a large forested area in the 12th century that stretched from the River Carron in the west and north towards Stirling and inland towards the Campsie fells. At that time it was traversed by an old Roman road, which I have walked many times with my dad, my brothers and my sisters over many years. In preparation for the battle of Bannockburn it was used as the encampment for the men of James Douglas, one of the leaders of King Robert the Bruce’s army. In the wood stood an oak tree that, allegedly, Bruce and William Wallace met under—they probably had a cup of tea or something similar—and which gave Wallace shelter. In 1680 the wood is said to have been the site of the excommunication of King Charles II by Donald Cargill.

My constituency is also blessed with the natural beauty of the Carron glen, which has a magnificent stretch of woodland with a beautiful, steep-sided gorge that supports a large tract of ancient deciduous woodland. I spent most of my childhood in the glen, swimming in the Red Brae and the Black Lynn, probably climbing over ancient dykes and generally mucking about. It was a natural place where I could go and enjoy myself and it will never be forgotten. To this day it is a site of special scientific interest that should be preserved at all costs. It supports oak, birch, alder, goat willow and ash, as well as a variety of woodland flora. We now have otters frequenting the area. If someone sits there long enough, they will see deer walking past in the same area. It is an absolutely outstanding, peaceful area of tranquillity.

Not far from that is a tree locally referred to as a Spanish chestnut tree. Its actual species is not known for certain; we are still investigating that. That tree is the symbol of the Denny and Dunipace Heritage Society, of which myself and Charles McAteer—not the Charles mentioned earlier—were founder members. The tree is more than 400 years old and was part of the Herbertshire estate owned by the Forbes family. The castle on the estate was burnt to the ground in 1914—I was not around at that time, before the hon. Member for Taunton Deane says anything. The tree is still standing and is still known locally as the “hanging tree”.

A number of local conservation groups help to protect the ancient trees and woodland in my constituency, such as the Communities Along the Carron Association, which is run by a group of local volunteers who are committed to the regeneration of the River Carron, its communities and its ancient land. It is led by a remarkable woman called Christine Bell. There is also the local Community Green Initiative, which is run by a group of volunteers. One of its aims is to ensure that the woodland areas are kept litter-free and accessible for everyone. That group is extremely active, with all the schools across Falkirk using the local woodlands. This is about looking to the future and the long term.

As a keen cyclist and walker, I have taken full advantage of those natural amenities. I am well aware that woodlands ancient and modern are more than a source of timber, more than a habitat of flora and fauna and more than a pleasant vista. Although they are and should continue to be all those things, they are also a destination for all groups, families and communities to enjoy. The protection of this natural asset is vital. Ancient woodland is our richest habitat for wildlife and is home to more threatened species than any other habitat. It represents the last fragments of the wildwood that once covered all of the UK thousands of years ago.

When I was doing some research this morning, I came across an article by Scottish Natural Heritage on hen harriers, which are a rare bird of prey. There were only 505 pairs left at the time of the last survey, in 2010, and another survey will be done next year. Those birds leave the highlands of Scotland and come down south for the winter. We are still not sure where they go, but if we cut down these trees, they will not go there again; that is a certainty. We need to be mindful of that at all times.

Our ancient woodland has now diminished to a fraction of its former extent. We have lost forever an irreplaceable part of our natural heritage. The nation’s remaining ancient woodlands are increasingly under threat from development. As the hon. Member for Taunton Deane mentioned, the Woodland Trust reports that it has responded to 14 cases of woods under threat in just the last month and is currently dealing with a total of 561 such cases. That is an unacceptable number of threats, and I do not know how the Woodland Trust will cope. There is a genuine increase in threats to ancient woodland, and the UK Government are simply not doing enough about it.

[Scott Mann]

While the national planning policy framework affects England, I understand that Scotland has devolved powers in planning. Will the hon. Gentleman expand a little on how Scotland has dealt with this issue?

[John Mc Nally]

I can give the hon. Gentleman a brief answer, but I am sure my hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Calum Kerr) will answer that later. The Scottish Government have developed a policy direction for decisions on woodland removal in Scotland and will apply the policy to decisions within the areas of competence. Unlike England, Scotland has an ancient woodland inventory, to which the hon. Member for Taunton Deane referred. We are making progress. There is a lot more information to read, which I advise hon. Members to do. We can all learn lessons from one another. This is not a political matter; it is about doing the best we can.

Within my constituency, more than 7.5% of the ancient woodland is under threat, while more than 40% of constituents live near woodland. That amounts to only 15.6% of woodland, old and new, which is quite scary. However, the quantity of ancient woodland under threat is not the only issue; the irreplaceable nature of that woodland is the significant point. The hon. Member for Taunton Deane mentioned a Fortingall tree earlier of between 3,000 and 3,500 years old, which I have visited many times. It is believed that Pontius Pilate was born underneath it—never let the facts get in the way of the truth. In Scotland, we define ancient woodland as having existed since around 1750 AD, so what takes minutes to cut down takes centuries to grow. The loss is immeasurable; imagine cutting down the Fortingall tree.

Existing protection for ancient woodland is insufficient. The UK Government have stated on many occasions their support for and appreciation of the value of ancient woodland and the need to protect it. In Scotland, as I mentioned, we are making significant efforts to change that and address these problems, although we are not without our problems. Unlike many precious habitats, however, ancient woodland is not a statutory designation in law and therefore suffers from a lack of protection.

The Minister responsible for forestry, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Rory Stewart), for whom I have a lot of time—he is an excellent guy who knows his brief exceedingly well—recently admitted:

“ancient woodland, as a category, is not a protected category”.

That is quite a statement.

Paragraph 118 of the national planning policy framework allows for the destruction or loss of ancient woodland and aged or veteran trees if

“the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location clearly outweigh the loss”.

That is a total contradiction, because we can never get that woodland back. As a result of that loophole, hundreds of ancient woods and trees are lost or threatened in the planning system every year. Since the NPPF was introduced in March 2012, more than 40 ancient woods across the UK have suffered loss or damage from development. Hundreds more ancient woods are at risk within areas of land allocated for development through site allocations as part of local plans. As admitted by the Forestry Minister under the previous Administration, the Government do not collect data relating to the loss of trees and woods, so a complete picture of the scale of losses in any given year is currently impossible—I totally agree with the hon. Member for Taunton Deane on that.

In December last year, the Select Committee on Communities and Local Government called for ancient woodland to be awarded the same level of protection as designated heritage assets—that includes the house owned by the hon. Member for Taunton Deane. The Committee also called for work to be undertaken to increase the number of ancient woods with statutory designations, to further increase protection. However, in response to the Committee’s report, the Government ruled out changing the wording, arguing that

“existing protection for ancient woodland in the Framework is strong and it is very clear that development of these areas should be avoided.”

Again, that seems a wee bit contradictory. I urge the Government to follow the Communities and Local Government Committee’s recommendations.

In addition to the previously mentioned comments, the Forestry Minister went on to say that

“an enormous amount of our ancient woodland is already protected within our national parks and within AONBs. A lot of it is covered by natural sites under European legislation and a lot of it is protected under SSSI legislation.”

In a response to a parliamentary question on 23 November, corrected on 24 November, the Forestry Minister set out how much ancient woodland is in fact located within designated areas:

“Natural England estimates that 15% of ancient woodland is located within national parks and 30% is located within areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs). In national parks, 29% of this woodland has site of special scientific interest (SSSI) status; in AONBs, 13% of this woodland has SSSI status.”

Unfortunately, while some ancient woodland is indeed located within a national park or area of outstanding natural beauty, that is simply not good enough protection to ensure ancient woodland is not impacted by or lost to development. I absolutely agree with the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton (Kevin Hollinrake), who mentioned the issue of fracking in such areas.

The HS2 route, as has been mentioned, is a notable example of woodland located within designated areas being threatened by development. Although I do not know it, the Chilterns is an area of outstanding natural beauty, well known throughout the world. Another example provided by the Woodland Trust is a hydroelectric scheme currently being proposed in north Wales at Fairy Glen near Betws-y-Coed—are there any Welsh Members here?

[Richard Arkless (Dumfries and Galloway) (SNP)]

You got away with it.

[John Mc Nally]

Thanks. No one can contradict me.

The scheme threatens to damage the ancient woodland located in the Snowdonia national park. The Cairngorms national park local development plan expressly backs potential development sites that could cause damage to ancient woodland, including at An Camas Mòr, Carrbridge and Nethy Bridge. Indeed, in 2014 the installation of a micro-hydroelectric turbine in the Cairngorms was approved, which could also damage ancient woodland.

I could go on and list more examples of ancient woodlands in designated areas that have been removed or are threatened by development. I think everyone in the room shares the concerns of the hon. Member for Taunton Deane about such matters, and I go along with her too. I am happy to support her as best I possibly can. I had more to say, but I think I have spoken for long enough.

Low Emission Zones

John McNally Excerpts

Wednesday 25th November 2015 Westminster Hall

[John Mc Nally (Falkirk) (SNP)]

I thank the hon. Member for Bath (Ben Howlett) for securing this debate. I declare a family interest: I have a relative who is involved in charging points in Scotland. I want to make that open and plain.

I have been here only since May, but I have been impressed by the knowledge that we gain. I am proud and privileged to be a member of the Environmental Audit Committee. The Minister appeared before us and gave us wonderful information about the Volkswagen scandal. I cannot say that I agree with him, but I was totally impressed by his knowledge of the situation. He was particularly honest, and everybody in the Committee appreciated it.

There is huge cross-party recognition that we need to do something. Some years ago, I visited Bath and Wells and the surrounding district—if I remember correctly, Cheddar gorge is in that area—so I know it is extremely busy. It is a beautiful area that I would go back to if I had time, but I totally get what the hon. Gentleman meant when he described it as a death route. The map that he produced is probably significant to lots of people in the House.

The area that I represent is similar to that of the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon). I have the benefit of being 10 minutes away from canals, mountains, hills and rivers. We are building fish ladders and hydro pumps, and there is a general trend towards getting people out and about, walking and cycling, which can only be good for public health. One of our biggest employers, Alexander Dennis Ltd, has just signed a £2 billion contract with a firm from China to deliver all-electric buses. Hopefully, we will see them on the streets of London and Bath in the future.

Local authorities in Scotland have issues, too. To go back to what the hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell) said, we have had more than 2,000 deaths from air pollution in Scotland. That is not good enough; it is not acceptable. I wholeheartedly go along with everything that is going forward. We need a local strategy and we need to take local people and communities with us, but we have to be mindful of how it will impact on businesses, town centres and city centres.

A Dundee taxi operator has the UK’s largest electric taxi fleet, with 40 such vehicles. The University of Dundee— I do not know why I am going on about Dundee; I am from Falkirk, so I will probably get a row about that when I get home—has got seven electric vans and is rolling out 12 electric bikes. It aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 9 tonnes, which will save £10,000 a year. Those are all good, practical steps towards lowering emissions. I think the whole country should work towards the national strategy. In Scotland, we are working towards it as fast as we can.

[Jim Shannon]

The hon. Gentleman referred to electric cars. Interestingly, during the May election, one of the things that people said on the doorstep—and, indeed, on the day of the election—was that they wanted to commit to driving electric cars. Many people wish to make that move. I certainly see that in my constituency. We have installed our first few electric power points in the town of Newtownards, which is a magnificent step in the right direction, so things are moving forward. Does the hon. Gentleman feel that the time has come for the Government to harness the energy of our constituents who want to see this happen?

[John Mc Nally]

I totally agree that we need to harness that energy. In fact, in an earlier debate today we spoke about the need to store renewable electric energy and to produce it when it is required. I do not yet fully understand the Chancellor’s autumn statement—once I have read into it, I will—but I believe he said that he is going to put more money towards renewable energy. Perhaps the Minister can enlighten me on that point.

People want electric cars. From memory—I have not researched this thoroughly—most people travel less than 30 miles a day in and around their own areas. The majority of people do not travel long distances. Therefore, to go back to the point made by the hon. Member for Strangford, having electric charging points in town centres would be great. When we build infrastructure, new shopping centres, schools or hospitals, we should put electric charging points into the construction plan whenever those things are built; it should be like ensuring disability access. That makes absolute sense to me.

I totally agree with what is going on. I am glad I have come along to represent the Scottish National party, and I am happy to share my knowledge at any time in the future. I thank the hon. Members for Bath and for York Central.