Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of dredging on water levels in the Broads water system.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The majority of the Broadland rivers are tidal and are dredged for navigational purposes by the Broads Authority. For flood management purposes, any silt removed by dredging would be replaced by sea water on the next tidal cycle. This is unlikely to have significant impact on draining freshwater through the system and there would therefore only be a negligible impact on overall water levels.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will undertake a review of the adequacy of the level of financial support it makes available to people who have lost properties due to coastal erosion.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Coastal erosion is a longstanding process which is the natural way in which coasts evolve over time. There is no right to compensation for damage from flooding or coastal erosion since these are natural processes. The Coastal Erosion Assistance Grant (CEAG) provides £6,000 per property to assist local authorities with the demolition and removal costs associated with homes at imminent risk from coastal erosion. The Environment Agency administer the CEAG on behalf of Defra.
Our £5.2 billion programme includes £1.3bn in defences for the coast between April 2021 and March 2027. This is subject to ongoing discussions between Ministers and the EA regarding the revised programme.
It is not always sustainable or affordable to defend every part of our coastline in the face of a changing climate which is enhancing the coastal erosion process. This is why we have allocated £36m over 6 years, for the ‘Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme’ (CTAP) to support communities in coastal areas at significant risk of coastal erosion. This will explore approaches to enabling transition and adaptation in our changing climate. North Norfolk is part of this programme as they have proportionally the highest number of properties at risk from coastal erosion in England. Learning from this programme will help inform and prepare other coastal communities and risk management authorities for flooding and coastal change in the future.
As part of CTAP, local areas will be exploring the availability and role of financial products or services that can help people or businesses in communities most at risk of coastal erosion.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support the Government provides to help communities adapt to the challenges caused by coastal erosion; and whether her Department has plans to increase that support.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
To help communities adapt to the challenges of coastal erosion, the Government has made a record investment of £5.2 billion which includes defences for the coast where it is sustainable and affordable to defend the coastline. Around one in six of the projects in the £5.2 billion 2021-27 programme aims to better protect coastal communities.
In addition to the £5.2 billion flood and coastal defence programme, the Government is investing £200 million in the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP) to support local places including coastal communities. This includes the £36 million coastal transition accelerators programme which will support communities in areas at significant risk of coastal erosion to transition and adapt to a changing climate.
The coastal transition accelerator programme will be a catalyst for strategic long-term planning, and test out innovative practical actions to support the coastal communities at risk from coastal erosion. East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk have been identified as the areas to lead off the programme, as they have proportionally the highest number of properties at risk from coastal erosion in England and are facing the greatest challenges from erosion and loss of coastline. Their experience and their learning will be shared nationally.
East Suffolk Council is leading a project as part of the Government’s FCRIP. This £8 million Resilient Coasts Project will work with affected coastal communities in four core locations across the East Suffolk and Great Yarmouth frontage. This will enable the people, economies and environment of the Great Yarmouth and Suffolk coastal frontages to live and work with a climate resilient coast.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will grant local authorities additional powers to compel landowners to contribute to coastal protection schemes.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Local authorities have a wide range of powers under the Coastal Protection Act (1949) to carry out their role as coastal protection authorities and as coastal erosion risk management authorities, including powers to raise levies on those with an interest in land that will benefit from any coastal protection works. The Act also makes the Environment Agency a relevant authority for the coast protection along with coastal protection authorities. This means the Environment Agency has discretionary powers to direct an owner or occupier of land to undertake coast protection works where they have a historical obligation to maintain defences.
The Rt Hon Member's continued support to the Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Coast Parentship East helps to fully engage the local community and relevant landowners, as they take decisions and actions along this part of our coast.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will review the methodology used by the Government to assess the economic impact of coastal erosion.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
To assess the economic impact of coastal erosion, Defra complies with the methodology used by government which is set out in the green book and is in line with the most advanced knowledge in the field. We are committed to maintain this high standard as new data becomes available and we are building evidence about climate change and sea level rise. Our methodology for appraising coastal erosion projects, for grant in aid, already includes benefits that come from extending the life of properties or any other asset at risk of being lost to the sea because of coastal erosion.
The Government is investing £5.2 billion over six years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. Around 1in 6 of the projects in the £5.2bn 2021-27 programme aim to better protect coastal communities.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential threat to the Norfolk Broads eco-system through salt water ingress through (a) rivers and (b) encroachment from the coastline.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
In order to protect fish stocks, the Environment Agency continuously monitors saline levels on the River Bure and River Yare. The Agency also monitors weather and tidal forecasts to help prepare for any potential incidents as a result of saline incursion.
To help get better understanding and predict how far and how much saltwater currently extends into the Broadland rivers now and in future, the Broadland Futures Initiative (BFI) a partnership for future flood risk management in the Broadland area, are working with Environment Agency to develop a statistical model that relates the degree of incursion to the main factors which cause it. This statistical model will be based on the long record of salinity monitoring data collected by the Environment Agency together with other organisations and groups. With ongoing monitoring and data collection, the ability to predict will further improve and the Environment Agency also continue to explore ways to reduce the impact of these natural events.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to help prevent further discharges of raw sewage into (a) the River Yare and (b) other waters near Great Yarmouth.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
This is the first Government to take such significant steps to tackle sewage overflows, including those near Great Yarmouth. We have been repeatedly clear to water companies that they must tackle sewage overflows urgently, and the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will deliver the largest infrastructure investment in water company history to clean up our rivers. Under the Environment Act we have improved monitoring and the transparency of data related to sewage overflows. Event Duration Monitors will be fully rolled out by 2023. This will help monitor local sewage impacts and hold water companies to account to deliver rapid improvements.
On a local level, so far in 2022 the Environment Agency has brought 8 prosecutions against Anglian Water, with over £1.75 million in fines issued. On 30th November we released this year's bathing water classifications. I’m pleased that the beaches in Great Yarmouth and the surrounding area were all classified as 'Excellent' for their water quality in 2022.
Asked by: Brandon Lewis (Conservative - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of low-noise fireworks on wildlife.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have made no such assessment. However, HM Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously. There is a comprehensive regulatory framework already in place for fireworks which aims to strike the right balance for people to enjoy fireworks, while aiming to reduce risks and disturbances to the welfare of animals. Information on how to use fireworks responsibly can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/news/staying-safe-with-fireworks
It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal unnecessary suffering - and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years’ imprisonment.