Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the possibility of the River Great Ouse flooding in winter 2022-23.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State regularly discusses a range of matters with the Environment Agency (EA).
The Great Ouse river catchment area has been subject to regular flooding, with serious floods in 1912, 1947, 1953, 1998 and more recently, in 2020. The EA has worked to better protect thousands of properties from flooding in the catchment. Since 2003, the EA has invested in building and funding flood defence schemes that now better protect more than 25,000 properties across the catchment from flooding and erosion.
In the last year alone, the EA has invested around £18million in flood defence schemes and assets in the Great River Ouse catchment. It operates over one thousand assets to manage water through the catchment and it offers advice to riparian property owners on their responsibilities and how to prevent blockages to rivers that could increase flood risk. For properties in areas not protected by flood defences, the EA is looking at the potential for new schemes and also other measures such as Property Flood Resilience (PFR).
The risk of flooding can never be fully eliminated and it will continue to pose a threat to this region. The EA urge people to be prepared for flooding by following its ‘Prepare, Act, Survive’ guidance. The EA supports local flood action groups to help them better prepare their communities for future flood events and also provides the Flood Warning Service to provide time for people to prepare for flooding, and to protect their families and homes.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the average change in (a) costs and (b) completion time of construction projects as a result of licences granted to protect great crested newts under the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) (Amendment) Regulations 2007, in each year since 2007.
Answered by George Eustice
In June 2013, Natural England introduced modifications to their licensing procedures for great crested newts. The savings to applicants until the end of November 2014 are estimated at £276,000.
Delays avoided by applicants through the use of this approach to licensing, over the same period, is estimated as 1,104 weeks.
Prior to 2013, no estimate has been made of the difference in costs and completion times.
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many great crested newt licences have been (a) applied for and (b) granted in each year since 2007.
Answered by George Eustice
Information on great crested newt mitigation licences prior to 2008 is not readily available. Licence applications received in one calendar year for work to be carried out the next year may not have been processed until early the following year.
The figures for new licences are:
Applications | Licences granted | |
2008 | 133 | 100 |
2009 | 193 | 195 |
2010 | 219 | 227 |
2011 | 195 | 205 |
2012 | 226 | 185 |
2013 | 239 | 255 |
2014 | 269 | 249 |
The following applications to modify an existing licence were also made:
Applications to modify an existing licence | Modified licences granted | |
2008 | 104 | 77 |
2009 | 217 | 176 |
2010 | 218 | 178 |
2011 | 191 | 151 |
2012 | 226 | 171 |
2013 | 308 | 220 |
2014 | 229 | 247 |
Asked by: Iain Stewart (Conservative - Milton Keynes South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of great crested newts in England in each year since 2007.
Answered by George Eustice
Great crested newt populations show large natural fluctuations and it is not possible or appropriate to estimate the actual numbers. Instead, great crested newts are monitored by assessing the number of ponds that they occupy. In 2011 it was estimated that there were approximately 53,720 occupied ponds.