Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee in its 2021 Progress Report to Parliament, published on 24 June, to make Shoreline Management Plans statutory.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
We will formally respond to the Climate Change Committee’s detailed recommendations in October.
Adapting to the current and predicted changes to our climate is vital. The UK is already leading the fight against climate change by delivering on our world-leading target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Environment Agency is working with coastal protection authorities on a £1 million refresh of Shoreline Management Plans. This will ensure that they are up to date, using the best evidence in their recommendations and focus attention on priority areas for investment and adaptation.
Last year, the Government published our long-term Policy Statement which sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. The Policy Statement includes five policies and over 40 supporting actions which will accelerate progress to better protect and better prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion in the face of more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change.
This includes a commitment to review national policy for Shoreline Management Plans to ensure they are transparent, continuously review outcomes and enable local authorities to make robust decisions for their areas. As part of this we will engage with stakeholders, including the Environment Agency and Coastal Protection Areas to consider the Committee’s views that Shoreline Management Plans should be made Statutory.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 25 November (HL10259), whether they intend to provide a geographical breakdown of (1) the 2,000 properties in England at risk from loss to coastal erosion in England by 2060, assuming current Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) policies are implemented, (2) the 5,000 properties potentially at risk by the 2030s from coastal erosion if SMPs are not implemented, and (3) the 28,000 properties potentially at risk by the 2060s (based on high emissions scenarios from UKCP09).
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The number of projected properties (residential and non-residential) at risk from coastal erosion loss under three scenarios are as follows:
National Coastal Erosion Risk Map (NCERM) erosion projections are available as Open Data, and information for all coastal areas of England can be reviewed by accessing the NCERM . People can also check their risk by inputting their postcode and looking at the flood risk maps on our website, or by looking at the Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) for their local area: https://www.gov.uk/check-coastal-erosion-management-in-your-area .
The Environment Agency will be updating NCERM to reflect UKCP18 emissions scenarios in 2021, and will be exploring potential ways to share property risk information from NCERM as part of that exercise, which will conclude in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the £5.2 billion investment in flood and coastal defence programmes, announced in the Budget on 11 March, has been affected by subsequent spending announcements in other areas.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
At the Budget in March, the Government confirmed that it will invest £5.2 billion over six years to create around 2,000 new flood and coastal defence schemes to better protect 336,000 properties in England by 2027. This was further confirmed in the Chancellor’s Spending Review, which was published today.
In addition, it was announced that a further £200 million would be provided for local innovative resilience projects which reduce flood risk. This summer, a further £170 million of capital funding was announced to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. 22 areas across the country will benefit from this immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus.
By spring 2021, Defra will publish further details of what it expects to achieve from the £5.2 billion invested over the next six-year programme and how it is to be managed. The Environment Agency will publish an updated programme of specific flood and coastal defence capital projects annually.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government by what process local Catchment Partnerships will be able to apply to receive a portion of the £5.2 billion funding for flood and coastal defences announced in the Budget on 11 March.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Flood and coastal risk management investment takes place where the risk is highest, wherever it is across the country. Each scheme is carefully considered to target where it will benefit the most people and property.
The Environment Agency (EA) uses a consistent set of criteria to prioritise funding for schemes proposed by all Risk Management Authorities which ensures a fair distribution of funding based on agreed priorities, principles and needs.
The EA is unable to allocate Flood and Coastal Risk Management Grant-in-Aid to Catchment Partnerships as they are not a Risk Management Authority.
Instead, the EA works closely with Catchment Partnerships through the Government's £15 million Natural Flood Management (NFM) pilot programme (which will end in March 2021), alongside communities, land managers, and coastal groups around England. The EA will continue to work with Catchment Partnerships after the end of the NFM pilot programme on the use of nature-based solutions.
Although capital funding for flood and coastal risk management is only available to Risk Management Authorities, EA teams routinely work with Catchment Partnerships on projects with other funding sources which provide environmental benefits and help to manage water in catchments.
Regional flood and coastal committees (RFCCs) provide a link between flood risk management authorities and other relevant bodies, like local Catchment Partnerships, to develop mutual understanding of risks in their regions.
In addition to sharing best practice between partners, RFCCs have a key role advising on and approving the implementation of programmes of work for their areas, and supporting the development of funding for local priority projects and works through local levy.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the £5.2 billion investment in flood and coastal defence programmes, announced in the Budget on 11 March, they estimate will be allocated (1) to flood defences, and (2) to coastal defences.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The £5.2 billion flood and coastal defence programme is due to start from April 2021 and is currently being developed. It is estimated that investment in flood schemes will be around 65% for inland flood defences and 35% for coastal defences.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of homes that will be threatened by coastal erosion in England and Wales if further coastal defence measures (1) are, and (2) are not, implemented.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The National Coastal Erosion Risk Map indicates that about 2,000 properties are at risk from loss to coastal erosion in England by 2060 assuming current Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) policies are implemented. By the 2030s around 5,000 properties could be at risk from coastal erosion if SMPs are not implemented, rising to 28,000 properties by the 2060s (based on high emissions scenarios from UKCP09).
SMPs are long term non-statutory plans intended to inform wider strategic planning by local authorities. They identify a sustainable management approach for each stretch of coastline.
The Government is already investing £1.2 billion in coastal erosion and sea flooding schemes better protecting around 200,000 homes by 2021. This investment is part of the 6 year capital investment programme to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding, coastal erosion and sea level rise.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipate the Silecroft to Silverdale section of the England Coast Path, referenced in the Natural England North West stretch update on 7 October, will be completed; and whether there are any outstanding planning issues that remain to be resolved on the route.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The proposals for the first part of this stretch of the England Coast Path were approved on the 12th November 2020; the remaining five reports covering this stretch currently sit with the Planning Inspectorate, for determination of objections that have been submitted. Natural England is not able to confirm when all such objections might be determined and when a decision by the Secretary of State might be made. Only after a decision has been published in relation to each of the six individual reports in question can Natural England, and the relevant access authority, begin the process of establishing the approved route in relation to any individual report.
Given the length of this stretch, and the complexity of the required establishment works, we might expect the establishment stage to take some time to complete. We hope to see the stretch open to walkers by late 2022, at the earliest. There may be some planning consents required in relation to the establishment works on this stretch, which will be a matter for Cumbria County Council, as access authority, to pursue with the relevant planning authority. We would not, however, anticipate that such requirements would be contentious or delaying.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they estimate the completion of the Silecroft to Silverdale section of the England Coast Path, referenced in the Natural England North West stretch update on 7 October, will cost; how much of that cost has already been allocated; and from what sources.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Natural England’s estimates for the costs of establishing this stretch are summarised within the individual published reports relating to the stretch. These total £2,106,819 (exclusive of any VAT payable). Subject to budgets, establishment costs will be met entirely by Natural England, via grants to Cumbria County Council (as access authority responsible for completing the works). Allocation of budget and grant provision would follow the approval of Natural England’s proposals by the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish plans to introduce a bottle return scheme in England and Wales similar to that introduced by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The consultation on proposals to introduce a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland closed on 13 May. Policy officials are currently analysing the responses; the analysis of responses and Government response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Walney (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether a zoo containing more than 1,000 animals has been closed by a local authority in the last 30 years.
Answered by George Eustice
This information, on closures, would be held by local authorities and not collected centrally. Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, there is no requirement for local authorities to report the closure of a zoo of any size to the Department.